


Answering the Call

by jtrevizo



Category: Power Rangers
Genre: F/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-10
Updated: 2012-06-08
Packaged: 2017-11-01 00:02:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 59,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/349767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jtrevizo/pseuds/jtrevizo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The original ranger teams are called to aid the earth for the first time in the years following the Power Rangers leaving for space. Who will answer the call? And what awaits them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Gathering of Heroes

Jason Scott had moved on. After everything he’d been through, it had finally been time. Thoughts of spandex and fighting had been put away along with high school year books and college kegger parties. It had been over four years since he’d been a ranger, and had nearly died because of it. But now he had a real life; a career, a serious relationship… and car payments, an apartment and student loans.

Never would he have thought that everything he’d fought so hard to forget would come rushing back with a simple knock on his door on a spring afternoon.

That subtle wrapping at wood sound had surprised him from a relaxing afternoon on the couch, reading the newspaper after a late brunch. Most Saturdays he rarely got even the odd solicitor in his security building in Manhattan’s lower side let alone someone who seemed insistent that he get up and answer the door as another series of knocks permeated the door.

With a sigh, he set the newspaper aside and moved to the door, Unlocking the chain and deadbolt; he eased the door open to reveal a young man, barely 20 years old in a stiffly starched courier suit, his hand holding a large envelope.

“Mr. Jason Scott?”

“Yes?”

“This is for you.”

With that, the man thrust the envelope forward and Jason reached out for it by instinct.

When the man turned and hurriedly left, Jason stared after him before returning inside his apartment and locking the door. The envelope seemed to weigh heavily in his hand even if it was realistically light as a feather. There never seemed to be good news with these kinds of deliveries. The last one had been notice of the reading of his grandfather’s will. Turning it over, he found the flap and ripped at it, and slid his hand inside.

He found a single piece of paper with a date, time, address including GPS coordinates and a simple message.

“Zordon’s legacy lives on.”

It was all he needed to be intrigued.

-x-

He had been working on the facility for nearly a year now. The situation was grave and he was running out of time. The threat bearing down on them had been the only reason he’d left his new home for Earth nearly a year and a half ago. He had to do what he could to convince them all that they had a plan and the power to do what was needed. And if he could do that, then they could see about forming a team from the former rangers… there had to be at least five of them that were willing to come back and save the planet.

Moving from one large control panel to another, he mused silently about the progress made with so little available to him. He was lucky to have been able to find the remains of the Power Chamber in Angel Grove and salvage anything. With what he’d brought with him off-planet and the components he was able to scrape together from Earth, he’d started on the new facility. Now, he had finally finished enough to get a team together.

Because Earth needed Power Rangers again.

Zordon had warned the rangers when he’d been captured to stay and defend Earth. But when Divatox had destroyed the Power Chamber, they’d taken to space to save Zordon, thinking all was lost on Earth. They had not returned, instead being needed elsewhere in the fight against evil. But by doing so… they had left Earth vulnerable too long.

And someone had finally taken notice.

-x-

A week later, Jason found himself in San Francisco. The meeting place was somewhere he’d never been, but the GPS directions had been precise. The destination was large warehouse in one of the piers along the waterfront of the San Francisco bay. The pier was number 64, which according to the signs along the way to the building’s doors, was condemned. But that wasn’t a surprise. If rangers were meeting in public, they required some subterfuge to keep the civilian population away.

Jason pushed open the main door to the building to find an empty space, much smaller than the outside of the building lit by industrial florescent lights. And in the middle of the room was someone that he knew very well…

Tommy Oliver.

“Jase,” said Tommy as he turned and moved to meet his old friend as he heard him walk into the room.

“Did you send this?” he asked, flashing the card with the gathering information as he moved to greet the former Green/White/Red ranger.

“You mean the note? Nope. I got one myself last week… thought about calling you to see if you got one too, but I didn’t have time. I barely got here.”

“Yet you were first – a pleasant change.”

“Very funny. My college classes are done for the semester, but I had to take care of some business before I could head here.”

“Do you think everyone got an invite to this thing?” Jason wondered aloud.

“It’s starting to look that way,” Tommy replied as he looked over his friend’s shoulder and saw Rocky DeSantos, Tanya Sloan and Adam Park enter the building.

“So, the gang’s all here?” asked Rocky as he moved to greet Tommy, Adam moving to Jason. They switched and then Tanya gave the two former red rangers each a hug.

“Not everyone is here,” Adam noted seriously, looking around once again at the barren building, wondering again to himself why they were here.

“You mean not yet,” announced Zack Taylor suddenly as he moved smoothly through the door, guiding Katherine Hilliard in before him.

Tommy looked at Kat awkwardly. Their relationship had ended two years earlier, around the time they both started their junior year in college. The distance with him in California and her in London hadn’t helped, and their diverging interests had taken them in opposite directions. Still, they were friends, and Tommy moved to greet her as Zack shook hands and acknowledged the others.

“How many former rangers do you think were invited?” questioned Kat, realizing that she wasn’t the only former pink ranger that Tommy had a romantic history with that could walk through the door.

“At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if every single person who has touched the power walked in,” remarked Jason, recognizing Kat’s worry and following not only her concerned gaze on Tommy’s face, but his own best friend’s anxious expression.

Because of all the things that Tommy had dealt with in the years he’d been a ranger: learning about his real parents, finding his brother, nearly watching Jason die of the Gold Ranger powers; his break up with Kimberly Hart was probably the largest piece of unfinished business that he was still harboring.

And it wouldn’t surprise Jason at all to see Kim walk in. And with her arrival, he was actually hoping that maybe, finally, one of the two of them might actually push the issue and get the whole damn thing between them out in the open. 

No sooner had Jason said something, the door swung slowly open once again, revealing a silhouette in the doorway. Trini Kwan pushed her head in, gasping in surprise as she turned to someone or some ones behind her as she called out “I think we’ve found the place.”

She swiveled back and came inside, followed by Aisha Campbell who had come back to the states to go to school from her remote home in Africa just last year. It looked like the two of them had found their way to pier following the instructions from their messages, just like everyone else. 

The door started to close behind them before a hand caught it and a third person made their way inside – Kimberly.

Tommy felt his breath catch at the first sight of the woman who had been his first love and first heartbreak in four years. She seemed so much like the same person, but the way she carried herself spoke of something… else.

“Join the party,” Rocky said, moving to crush Aisha in a hug as Jason greeted Trini.

Kimberly trailed behind the other two former yellow rangers, her eyes settling on Tommy with a mix of apprehension and something else that no one looking at her could define. But for the former first pink ranger, coming face to face with he once white knight had shaken her immediately, and she was desperately trying to reign in her emotions. It was obvious that they had all received the same mysterious summons, and her personal issues with Tommy needed to be put aside for now.

With the new arrivals, people greeted one another, old friendships being renewed under the unusual and puzzling circumstances. Tommy and Kimberly seemed cordial but everyone seemed on edge, knowing that the pair still had unresolved issues.

“Does anyone know who called this little gathering?” asked Kim finally, prompting everyone to look about anxiously.

“That would be me,” stated a male voice as the door at the far side of the generic warehouse opened, bathing an area in light as a lone figure walked out of the space it led from.

Before them all stood the man that had left for Aquitar to save his life two years prior. Some in the room had not seen him for longer than that, and his appearance surprised them all.

“Billy?” questioned Trini, seeing for the first time since leaving the team her dear friend of so many years.

“Hey everyone.”

“Oh my God!” Kim cried out, rushing over to throw her arms around the former blue ranger. Following the horrible accelerated aging side effect from the regenerator that would have killed him had he not left for Aquitar for a cure, no one had expected to see Billy Cranston again.

Once Kim had released him, the others all gathered around Billy, shaking hands and giving him hugs to express their delight at seeing him once again.

“Why are we here?” Jason finally asked, prompting the lighthearted reunion serious once more.

“Yes, what’s this all about?” queried Adam.

“Since the ranger team left for space a nearly four years ago, there have been a lot of changes,” Billy began, looking around the bare room at the faces of his friends and former comrades in arms. 

Most of them knew of the destruction of the Power Chamber in Angel Grove, while a few less knew of Zordon’s capture at the hands of the United Alliance of Evil who had turned him over to Dark Specter while others did not. But everyone who had been a ranger knew that four of the Turbo rangers had gotten a ship from NASADA to rescue him. And that had been the last anyone had seen of power rangers on earth for close to four years. But it had been quiet during that time. A few had even wondered if perhaps the rangers leaving earth had directed the attention of evil villains elsewhere.

“Specifically though, Earth has been abandoned by not only the rangers but the powers that made the Power Rangers… leaving us to the mercy of any remaining evil in the universe,” he stated simply, knowing what he was going to ask of them next was going to force them all to make some hard decisions.

“Billy, are you saying something has targeted Earth?” Tommy asked quickly, the steel tone of leadership that so many of the team who had served under him recognized crept back into his voice. 

“Something and some one… yes. And the only way to stop it is for the Power Rangers to return to Earth.”

“Do you have any idea where they are?” questioned Aisha, her hand landing heavily on Rocky’s forearm as if in need of support.

“Yes,” he said as he adjusted his glasses, “they’re in this room.”


	2. Walking down Memory Lane

“You’re kidding,” Rocky sputtered, trying to comprehend what Billy was implying.

“You want us to be rangers again?” Kat quickly questioned, her words nearly running over Rocky’s voice.

“What about the space team?” asked Zack, wondering why Billy hadn’t tried to locate them.

“And what about Justin?” queried Tommy, noting the absence of the youngest ranger to have worn the uniform.

“Whoa, hold up… too many questions at once. So, first I chose the people I knew I could count on coming. I looked for the space rangers, but they’re nowhere to be found. I don’t have any idea where they are now. As for Justin, he’s a senior in high school…I’m not going to put this on him again. School is more important and I think he deserves a chance to live his teenaged years away from this.”

“Fine, but where are we supposed to get powers?” Jason asked simply, becoming curious as to Billy’s plan because it very much sounded like Billy had a plan… and they were a big part of it.

“And zords…” Tanya started before letting her question trail off with a look at Billy’s face.

“As to powers and zords… well, I’ve been working on that,” announced Billy with a small smile.

Quickly Billy turned and moved to the door he’d come through and opened it wide, letting the light shine farther into the darker part of the warehouse. At the unspoken invitation, the former rangers all migrated to the door, slipping past the threshold one by one as they entered the real space of the condemned warehouse. 

Inside was a room that they all instantly recognized as a new command center. Control panels and viewing screens occupied parts of the space; what looked like weapons and suits sat in smoked cases against one wall and one corner was taken up by what seemed a cross between a Star Trek transporter and disco floor. As the group began to tentatively explore the technological marvels of the new command center, they noted how some things were instantly identifiable. Everything seemed new and different, but there were hints of… something familiar.

“Billy, how…” began Aisha, stunned by the sheer magnitude of what it seemed he’d done.

“I brought back a lot of technology from Aquitar. But some of this… well, I salvaged it from the old Power Chamber in Angel Grove.”

“But, I thought…” Tommy said suddenly, his eyes catching Billy’s with laser-like precision.

“It was a mess; I don’t think they could have repaired it without significant help… but a lot of the materials were usable.”

Tommy, Kat, Tanya and Adam were the last of the team to leave and remembered the power chamber well. They all wandered about, seeing a control panel or system layout that reminded them of those days. For the others, it was still like walking down memory lane. So many things had influenced Billy’s command center that they could all recognize things that made it almost seem like home.

“This is incredible. How long have you been here, working on this?” Trini asked as she ran a hand across the shaded glass that hid the barest hints of new ranger uniforms behind it.

“Around a year... or so.”

“And you never contacted any of us? Why not?” Kim asked, her tone distressed.

“And say what? I spent the last year building this, everything, knowing that I was going to have to ask all of you for more than just helping me rebuild a command center.”

“You mean… being rangers again,” Tanya stated, and Billy simply nodded.

“So now what?” Zack questioned, his arms crossing before him as he prepared himself for Billy’s next statement.

“I have five suits and five zords. That means only five of you have to say yes.”

There was an abrupt silence in the room that seemed to go on for what seemed like minutes. There were ten of them in total, besides Billy… that meant the active team would only be half of them. The rest… could just walk away?

“And if we’re all willing?” asked Adam, his chin raising slightly as he contemplated the hard task of selecting five rangers out of ten great former ones.

“We can always draw straws,” suggested Rocky with a smirk, and some of the others gave him less than humorous looks.

“And if there aren’t five of us willing?” Kim queried, her eyes drifting from where they’d been looking in Tommy’s general direction to focus on Billy.

Again the room quieted and Billy’s face looked pained at the thought. He had hoped that they would all be open to returning to action, or at least enough of them to form a new team. Yet he hadn’t factored in that none of them would want to go back to the violent, dangerous live of a ranger. He hadn’t even considered it because he was sure that they all had the desire within them to save and protect others.

“I could take the last spot if there were only four, but…”

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t want to do this? Tommy? You’re in college for your masters… Aisha, I know you just started vet school in the states…” Jason remarked, noting the two of them had pursuits that might cause them to pass on returning to a team.

“I’m good,” quickly announced Aisha. “I’d like a second chance to do this.”

“And I won’t say no either, no matter what I’m doing… it can wait,” offered up Tommy.

“So, everyone’s in?” Billy asked, his tone hopeful.

Everyone looked around at one another, eyes focused and heads nodding. All except for one.

“Kim?” Jason began, noting the way Kim had backed towards the door they’d come in and wrapped her arms around herself.

“I don’t want to be a… disruption,” Kim ventured, her eyes drifting from Billy to Tommy, and then quickly away to Jason. “I think maybe I should… leave.”

Everyone held their breath as Kim’s words surrounded them all. She was opting out… and she wasn’t doing it because she didn’t want to be a ranger again or protect Earth... everyone in the room knew it was because of Tommy. 

Across the room from Kim Tommy stood stock still, his eyes locked on her, his face a mask of pain. Then suddenly he quickly strode across the room and stopped before her, his hands moving to catch her shoulders and bring her attention to him before he realized what he was doing and wrenched them away.

“Don’t, Kim,” he said in a strangled, pained tone. “Don’t make this about you and me. I know you really never wanted to leave the team… to give up your powers. This is your second chance. I want you to take it… even if it means I don’t.”

“I don’t need this… really,” she demurred, her eyes finally coming up and meeting his. “But Billy’s team could use you. You were a great leader…”

Soft brown eyes finally stared into chocolate ones; Kim’s face showed Tommy a reflection of his own turbulent emotions. They both wanted this, he could tell, but the letter, the break-up still loomed between them. And before they could take up the mantle of being rangers again, even consider working together in any way, shape or form, they had to deal with their personal issues.

“Billy, do we have to decide right now?” Tommy asked plaintively as he forced his eyes away from Kim’s ever so briefly.

“No, but I think I should note that anyone who doesn’t take on the uniform can still help out,” Billy replied.

“How?” asked Kat, surprised at this new piece of information.

“I’ll need help with support functions – I don’t have an Alpha or Zordon or Dimetria… so I’ll need a support team to help me with the zords, the command center…”

“Which means we can all stay and help,” Tanya interjected as she optimistically looked to the others.

“Yes, just some of you will be on the front lines as rangers in uniform,” Billy pointed out again.

“So we’re back at the issue of how to choose who will be rangers again…” Kat remarked.

“You know, I’m actually leaning towards Rocky’s idea of drawing straws… it’s fair enough,” Zack offered.

“Guys… I think that maybe we should wait a bit,” remarked Trini, tilting her head back to where Tommy and Kim were still standing a few inches apart. “Billy, how about you tell us what we’re facing?”

“That’s a good idea,” Adam agreed quickly.

“It’s a long story, probably one told sitting down and comfortable… which is probably a good time to mention that I built in living space into the warehouse. I’ve been here for over a year, so I can attest that the plumbing and kitchen are in fine working order. There are 12 sleep rooms on two levels behind the door to the left here,” Billy stated, pointing to a sliding aluminum door. “We can meet in the rec room to discuss the bad guy coming our way, and after that, those of you still willing to become rangers again decide who’s taking on the uniforms.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Aisha agreed.

“I don’t know about you all, but I need to make a few calls and cancel some stuff… How about we take an hour or so to deal with personal business?” said Jason, pulling out his cell phone.

“Everyone can go into the living space – pick a room and settle in… deal with whatever you need to do and we’ll meet back up in the main living space in an hour,” Billy suggested as he moved to key in a code by the sliding door, revealing the interior of the personal space of the new command center.

With the way into the living space open, each of the former rangers went inside, some moving to the kitchen, others to examine the different areas of the space, and others to locate a room for the long haul. Many started calling hotels or motels or friends where they were staying letting them know they‘d be by to pick up their things later. Following those calls, others were made to employers, family and friends to start the process of having more time to devote to this new fight. Billy followed the others in, helping them settle in and answering questions.

With everyone in the personal area, it left two former lovers alone in the command center. Tommy and Kim stood as if magnetically held in place less than a foot away from one another. The air around them seemed weighted with pain and regrets. But it was obvious to both of them that this reunion of rangers also needed to be the moment of closure for them as well.

“I think its time we talk,” Tommy said.

Kim nodded, knowing that it was finally time to get everything out in the open, even the very painful things. And she sincerely hoped that her own heart survived the process.


	3. Finding a Way Home

There was silence for a bit, and Kim bit her lip for a brief second as she looked back up at Tommy. She noted the short, spiked haircut and the worn look around his eyes. He looked better than she remembered, even if he’d changed in so many ways. But he still was the man who had been her first love and would always have a piece of her… even if he didn’t realize it.

“I never meant to hurt you, you know,” she ventured tentatively, wanting to ease into the conversation, knowing it was dangerous territory.

“But you did,” he replied with an accusatory, rough tone that spoke volumes to the five years of his pain over this chapter of his life.

“Really?” she asked pointedly, her eyes now suddenly cold and hard.

“What do you mean? Of course it did…” Tommy countered quickly, anger filling his voice suddenly.

“Then why didn’t you call!” she abruptly yelled at him as her small pointed finger shoved into Tommy’s chest as she closed the gap between them.

“Kim?” he questioned, shocked at her new aggressive demeanor.

“I called and wrote and pined and thought about coming home every day for months because I just couldn’t be alone anymore…” she said, her voice raising and speeding up as she finally vented her pain and frustration. “After that visit at Christmas I heard nothing from you. I finally wrote that letter breaking up with you to see if *anything* would provoke a response from you. But even it didn’t work. And you want to sit here and make it out that I was the one who ruined our relationship? Hell, it seemed like I was the only one in it!”

“Kim, that’s not true… I loved you…” argued Tommy heatedly, moving closer to her and driving her finger deeper into his chest. “I would have done anything to have you with me.”

“Really, then why didn’t you ever write me to say that? Call me and tell me you loved me?”

Tommy started to open his mouth with a quick retort and then swiftly shut it again. His mind flew back five years and examined the memories there for what Kim was accusing him of… of having given up on her in such an insensitive way. He tried to remember phone calls he placed to her, letters he might have written… but, to his sudden shame, he couldn’t recall any. He… he’d abandoned her, just like she said. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He’d let the rangers and school and everything else tear him away from responding to her calls, her letters, and in doing so he had no one to blame for the failure of his relationship with her other than himself. 

But he still hated the idea that she’d moved on…

“Yet you moved on to someone else… you said so,” Tommy countered half-heartedly, and suddenly he was reaching into his back pocket, pulling out a dark leather wallet and fishing a faded, folded and torn envelope from within it.

Kimberly looked at the envelope, knowing that there was a letter in her handwriting within it. She was stunned he’d kept it all these years. He haphazardly jabbed it at her as if it was some damning evidence to her unfaithfulness. Yet he seemed to still not grasp exactly what she’d been trying to tell him; what that letter had really meant.

“I lied.”

The slight piece of paper fell from Tommy’s suddenly numb fingers to sail to the floor as he fought to pull air into his lungs. Everything he’d thought about Kim and his failed relationship, the anger and mistrust crashed around him and he struggled to keep himself upright. He stumbled back towards the semi-circle of consoles in the center of the room before the large view screen. Kim watched his face as the reality slowly sank in for him. The letter breaking up with him was a lie. There never had been someone else. He’d had his heart broken because he had been too stupid to make a simple phone call to keep her…

“I thought… I thought if I said I was breaking up with you that you would finally write, call me, do something… but you didn’t. It hurt so damn much to realize that you didn’t care enough to demand an answer, ask how I could dump you for someone else. You just accepted it and let me go. And then you moved on to Kat and I…” Kim said heartrendingly, her arms wrapping around her tightly once again as she turned away from the man that she…

She looked up at the ceiling as tears began to fill her eyes, and she closed them as she forced herself to finish what she’d swore she’d never say. But if they were going to be rangers, team mates again, she needed to be honest with him… their lives might depend on it.

“When I got the message to come here, I almost didn’t. When I got here I wanted to run out of the warehouse the second I laid eyes on you,” Kim said brokenly. “I loved… damn it… I *love* you and it kills me to see you knowing you don’t love me. I swore night after night when I’d cry over losing you that I wouldn’t let you break my heart again. I spent years keeping my distance from Angel Grove, avoiding all but a few of our mutual friends in an effort to make sure you didn’t hurt me like that again. And yet here I am… still in love with you and you hate me.”

Kim bent her head and covered her eyes with her hands, the tears soaking her skin. Then without warning she felt a pair of strong, familiar arms wrap around her from behind, cradling her to him and she choked back her tears at the way it made her heart lurch in her chest. She raised her head slightly as she suddenly felt Tommy’s chest shake against her body.

“I could never hate you Kim,” Tommy said softly, his throat filled with unshed tears. “I was angry at you, felt betrayed but now… God, I can’t believe I let it get that bad. How could I have ignored you? I fucked up… I let everything that was happening with Zedd and Rita keep me from staying in contact with you. Somehow I just assumed…”

“I’d always be there…” Kim replied simply and felt Tommy nod against her.

“And I should have known… should have done something when you sent that letter. Because the girl… the woman I loved wouldn’t have ever done that to me. But I guess it was somehow just easier for me to think you’d abandoned me than to realize I was the one that had abandoned you. I… how can you still love me after all that?”

“I don’t know… I just know I do.” 

“Can you ever forgive me for just letting you go? For ignoring you? For my being angry with you and thinking you’d hurt me when it was me hurting you…”

“If you can forgive me for not having the courage to try and fix this sooner.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Tommy replied, turning her around in his arms, finally letting her see the silent tears that had tracked down his face, mirroring her own. 

“So, you really think we can be in the same place… maybe even as rangers on the team together again? After all this?” Kim asked as she reached up to brush a hand across his cheek and he briefly closed his eyes at her touch.

“We’re not going to repeat the same mistakes… and we’re older than we were then. I can’t guarantee anything other than the fact that I don’t ever want to hurt you again. I’d die before I let that happen,” he replied, catching her hand in his.

They stood there, years of mistakes disappearing in heartbeats as everything they’d had between them once again washed over them in a sweet flow of memories. For Kim, the feelings had still been there; just buried under years of self-protection, but everything she felt for him still came alive again in his arms. For Tommy, he found the love he’d thought was dead bloom once again under Kim’s touch.

“You guys work things out?” asked Jason suddenly, as he ventured into the command center to see Kim wrapped up in Tommy’s embrace, the atmosphere no where near as tense as it had been before.

“Yeah… I found out what a stupid asshole I was,” Tommy said self-depreciatingly, but with a small smile.

Jason tried not to stare at his two friends. They seemed happier than he could remember them being for years. Whatever they’d said to one another had changed them… markedly for the better.

“So Kim… you gonna stay?” Jason questioned.

“I’d like to, yes… I don’t think I’d want to walk away again,” she remarked, referencing her previous choice to step down for the Pan Globals.

“Great. I’ll get everyone else and we can finally figure out who’s gonna take on the new bad guy.”

As Jason turned back to round up the others, Tommy eased his hold on Kim and moved to guide her in front of him towards the personal space. They passed through the doorway to find a huge living space filled with couches, chairs and miscellaneous other furniture. A large screen TV stood near the largest mass of seating, hooked up with computers, blue ray DVD player and video game consoles. Tommy and Kim gave Billy a look, and he shrugged.

“I’ve been here for over a year… I needed to stay entertained.”

"You won't hear any argument from me," replied Tommy as he followed Kim to a series of couches. He let her sit and took a spot next to her.

Rapidly the others began to filter in, each taking a spot until a rough circle was formed and all eyes were focused on Billy. He lifted a hand to his glasses and adjusted them, knowing what was coming next and reading it a little.

“Okay Billy, what’s the story?” Rocky asked quickly.

“Who’s coming for Earth?” Aisha questioned.

“And how soon?” added Katherine, watching the former blue ranger sigh heavily as he looked around the room.

“His name is Emperor Blood, and he’s the kind of ruthless tyrant that Zedd, Mondo and Divatox all wanted to be. And… well, he’s already on his way to Earth.”


	4. Luck of the Draw

"Who is that?" questioned Jason, having never heard the name before.

"How far out is he?" asked Tommy, knowing the timetable was vital to their next steps.

"When did you find out about him heading for us?" Rocky queried, still curious about how long Billy had been planning all this. 

Billy sighed and slipped his glasses off again, rubbing his eyes with his hand. There was so much to tell them and none of it good.

"Emperor Blood is known in parts of the universe as an evil unto himself, without peer, so to speak. He had another name once, or so the legends of him go, but because of his ruthlessness, his total scorched earth approach to conquering worlds and people, they call him Blood now."

"And he's worse than Mondo and Zedd…" Tommy started, trailing off as a dark cloud seemed to cover Billy's face.

"He's not just worse Tommy… he's like nothing any ranger team has faced before," he said darkly yet softly, making the room go deathly silent.

"But… we have time, right? I mean, he's not going to arrive tomorrow, is he?" asked Tanya nervously.

"No, thank God," Billy assured her, resulting in the rest of the former rangers relaxing just a little bit. "But I would guess that at the last estimated report I had of his progress; we have maybe two weeks…"

"That's all?" stammered Kim, stunned at the limited time they had before Blood's arrival.

"Couldn't you have called us sooner?" Trini questioned.

"Yeah, there's so much to do…" Aisha added quickly.

"I just finished the last zord a few days before I sent out the messages to you all. Before then… we weren't ready. Now we can be," Billy explained simply.

"Which means we really need to pick rangers and start learning about our new powers and zords before he gets here," offered up Zack seriously as he glanced to the others sitting near him for confirmation.

"I think Rocky and Zack were on the right track. Maybe pulling lots or something would be the best way to choose. That way no one gets their feelings hurt," Kat suggested, and found nearly everyone nodding or giving some sign of agreement.

Billy noted the reaction and realized it was finally time. He reached down to the floor by his feet where he had dropped a small black canvas bag. He picked it up and stood, his fingers stretching out the closed drawstring top to enlarge the opening and he cradled it in his right hand.

"I thought everyone might agree on that idea, so I put ten coins in this bag. Five are blank… the other five have the symbol of the new Photon Ranger powers," Billy stated as he moved towards Tommy. "Just put your hand in and grab one." 

"Photon Rangers?" Tommy asked with a smirk as he shoved his hand into the bag and felt the cold metal of the coins beneath his fingertips. He bypassed one coin and moved left, sliding his fingers around the disk. 

"When I start going over the new powers and zords, it will make a whole lot more sense." 

Tommy shrugged and then pulled his chosen coin out of the bag, finding the image of an atom on the gold colored, silver dollar sized coin. His heart began thudding in his chest in double-time at the realization that he had just selected the coin that would put him back into uniform and send him once again into battle.

"Looks like we have our first winner," remarked Billy with a small grin. "Four more spots left. Next?"

Jason stood up from where he was sitting to Tommy's left, the space to Tommy's right having been filled by Kimberly. He moved to where Billy was and put his hand in the bag. When he pulled his choice out, it was a blank coin.

"Looks like you'll have to do without me by your side," Jason remarked, a slight look of disappointment crossing his features.

"I'm just glad to know that you'll still be here in the command center to help the team… you are staying to help?" Tommy asked and Jason responded with a nod, prompting Tommy to reached out and clasp Jason's hand in his own in a gesture of brotherhood and friendship.

Kim stood and watched Jason and Tommy as they accepted their different roles in this new fight before realizing Billy had moved to hold the black bag before her. Steeling herself, she slid her hand to the bottom of the bag and drew out her coin, turning it to view its flat surface.

It had a symbol on it.

"Guess that second chance was meant to be," remarked Tommy lightly, sudden thoughts of Kim fighting by his side once again filling his mind with fond memories and his heart with... longing.

"Well Jason, since he won't have you to watch his back, I'll have to take the job," Kim remarked with a smile to the former red and gold ranger and he chuckled at her before reaching over to give him a quick hug.

"Okay, moving on… still seven more coins in here," Billy stated, moving to Adam. 

Adam reached in and swiftly pulled one of the photon coins. 

"Back to action," he noted simply, grinning slightly at Tommy.

"Three down," Billy noted, moving to the next person in the circle.

Tanya, Aisha and Zack went one after another, all of them pulling blank coins. Rocky went next and pulled a marked coin and moved to high five with Adam.

"Alright ladies… a fifty/fifty chance."

"Go together?" Trini asked, and Kat nodded.

The two put their hands into the bag together, each selecting a coin and pulling them out at the same time.

"Kat's the fifth," announced Aisha, looking at her blank coin and knowing Kat had picked the last marked coin.

Jason glanced at Tommy, wondering how he was going to handle not one but two of his former flames on his team.

"Looks like we have two pink rangers that will have to decide who gets the uniform," remarked Billy.

"Seniority," Kat said simply. "I'll take yellow."

"You sure about that?" asked Kimberly, her eyes wide in surprise.

"I was always just filling in for you," replied Kat, and more than a few of the group wondered if she meant that in more ways than the pink ranger powers.

"So... We have a team. How about the rest of the details?" questioned Adam.

"What are we up against, really?" Rocky asked.

"I don't know about you all, but I want to see the new uniforms," Tanya commented, and Trini and Aisha both laughed.

"You just want to see what hideous spandex costumes we've been saved from wearing," Aisha tossed back.

"At least you never sported wood while wearing one," Zack remarked, causing the guys to wince in sympathetic understanding while the women looked on in disbelief.

"Okay, how about we head back into the command center and I can show everyone what's coming for Earth as well as our new gear," Billy explained.

Without preamble, Billy turned and left the living space and headed back to the command center, the others following behind him. He immediately moved to the half circle of consoles creating the core of the controls for the room. Punching a few buttons, he turned to regard the two halves of the team: rangers and ranger support as static began to pop on the view screens behind him.

“It will take a minute or two before the videos load so in the meantime,” he said as he raised a hand now filled with a small remote control looking device and pointed it to the shaded wall at one side of the room.

The glass immediately cleared, revealing five ranger uniforms. The colors were about what everyone had expected: red, pink, yellow, blue and black. They had a wide white T-shape across the chest; for everyone other than the yellow ranger it was bordered in yellow, for the yellow ranger it was bordered in black. Each suit had white gloves and boots, a metallic belt and very straightforward helmets with dark visors. And in the upper left chest near the shoulder of each uniform a gold circle appeared, emblazoned with the same logo as the coins that had selected their wearers.

“These feel familiar,” commented Tommy, the uniforms resembling their old turbo armor a bit.

“They should – the turbo armor was the last iteration I saw before leaving fro Aquitar, so I sort of used them for a template.”

“So I guess its Tommy in red, Kim in pink, Kat in yellow and then…” remarked Zack as he turned his gaze on Rocky and Adam.

“Blue for me I think… I’ll leave the black to your former replacement,” replied Rocky.

“So, as I said, Photon Rangers,” Billy began as she moved to the case to the left of the uniforms and opening drawers to pull out two items – a slim silver sword with a small grip and an obvious looking white and red colored laser-type gun. “Each has its own properties. The sword is made of light particles, so it can slice through almost anything.”

“Wow,” exclaimed Jason, coming over to inspect the weapon with a look of awe.

“And the blaster?” asked Adam, moving to get a closer look at the gun he and the others would be wielding.

“Electromagnetic pulses. Can knock most anything down and for technological stuff… it’s near deadly. The PhotonMegaZord has similar weapons: a focused EMP cannon, Photon laser and Proton laser sword.”

“And how exactly do we make the PhotonMegaZord?” Kim asked, wondering exactly where those zords were and what they were.

Billy grinned and handed the weapons to Jason and Adam to more closely look at as he moved back to the control panel for the view screens. Punching in a series of buttons, the screen crackled to life, showing a huge cement hangar-like building with images of five colored metal objects. Tommy moved closer to the screen, his eyes trying to take everything in.

“There are five independent robot zords that combined make up the PhotonMegaZord. As you may know, it’s not exactly cheap to live in California and the warehouse is condemned in the eyes of the city. So the zords are in a bunker underwater… there’s an elevator by the door from the living area to go down to the zords for service,” he noted, as the video swung around to show the elevator bay and then switched to show the work bays and exit from the hangar for the zords to leave underwater.

“Billy, how on earth did you pay for all this? Excavating underwater? Building all this?” Tanya questioned, stunned by everything the former blue ranger had accomplished.

“I brought back a lot of rare gems and minerals from Aquitar along with the equipment. No one person or business ever did more than one piece of work on the zords, command center or underwater hangar… and I ended up finishing a lot on my own…”

“Okay, so we have weapons, armor and zords… but just what are we facing with Blood?” asked Aisha, Still worried that their opponent was reportedly worse than Lord Zedd.

Billy started running the next video. Massive circular ships hovered over a planet. They looked like a combination of something they’d seen in sci-fi films and Mondo’s ships. 

“Emperor Blood is coming with a small force, probably only one of these large ships, as he has to leave the majority of his forces behind on the worlds he conquers to control them. Once he scopes a planet for conquest and feels out the planet, depending on the defenses, he can call for more aid. But that will take months to get here from his closest planetary system,” Billy remarked as they continued to watch the video, where smaller ships zoomed from the larger one to enter the planet below’s atmosphere. “As far as he knows, the Power Rangers left Earth four years ago, so he doesn’t expect significant resistance. This one fact is our only advantage,” Billy explained at length.

“But once he realizes we’re here…” questioned Rocky, turning to regard Tommy, the obvious leader for the uniformed team to gauge his reaction.

“Then we’ll see if we’re up to the challenge,” answered Tommy darkly.


	5. Deadly Intentions

“Do we have more information on Blood?” asked Aisha, moving to stand next to where Kat and Kim were leaning forward on the console and staring at the monitor.

“Yeah… let me…” Billy began and then pressed a button, jumping the video footage before them.

An image finally came up of a towering being encased in dark armor from head to toe. His helmet looked as if a dark metal crown had been melded to it. It left everything encased in the dark armor leaving only small slits for eyes which showed an inhuman red glow. A blood red cape flowed behind him and a long, heavy looking sword was in his hand. He seemed like Zedd… revved up times one hundred.

“So he’s the big bad, huh?” said Zack, the beginnings of a wisecrack dying as the image of Blood changed to that of the Emperor walking over the burned bodies of some kind of alien people filled the screen.

“Good god,” remarked Jason softly as more images continued before them; Blood standing observing cities on fire, Blood pointing at what seemed to be children who were then executed en masse. Scene after scene was filled with vial depictions of Blood proving to be the ruthless tyrant Billy had warned them of.

“It’s not just him coming, right?” Trini spoke up, remembering Billy’s comment about Blood’s forces.

“So who is Blood bringing with him?” Kat asked quickly.

“His foot soldiers, called Banes… and a few of his lead generals – Mistress Misery and Master Pain,” Billy answered, moving to call up the footage he had of them.

Aisha and Kim looked to one another with slight humor in their eyes, even though they knew that the situation was serious.

“Those are his main lackeys? Really? They sound like people you’d find in a bad S&M dungeon,” remarked Rocky with a smirk.

“Well they have earned those names,” Billy replied seriously. “They’ve left battalions of soldiers in their wake, so ‘funny’ names or no, they’re bad news.”

At that, Billy pulled up and ran the next round of footage, showing the Banes firing some kind of laser rifles at unarmed civilian aliens. They wore dark armor with helmets that obscured their faces. They moved like a unit that was all too familiar with dealing death.

Behind them stalked two figures. One was a human-like woman with flowing raven hair and chalk white skin; Mistress Misery, obviously. She was dressed in a barely there black dress and a cape of black feathers. And where one hand should have been, a hideous claw of long, razor sharp talons protruded, part of what seemed to be a metal glove or graft that ended above her elbow. She sliced through one alien with the claw, leaving the body in bloody ribbons at her feet.

The other had the head of a skull, eyes glowing red like Blood’s. But he was dressed some bronze kind of armor, with sweeping wings pounded into the metal across nearly every surface. A wrought ornament of what looked to be a sun or starburst was affixed above its head and from each arm a different weapon hung. One was a sword, the other a gun. And no hands could be seen. Master Pain used the sword arm to scythe one being in half and raised the gun arm to fire at a group of retreating aliens, who went down under a pile of rubble from the building Pain had blown a hole in.

The active and support teams both looked on in mixed horror and anger as Pain and Misery and the Banes cleared the streets of the still living population of the city they were in. Fires erupted in their wake as they destroyed the city on behalf of their Emperor.

Finally the screen faded to black. The teams looked around to one another, acknowledging the fact that maybe they really were dealing with a force that was going to be tougher than anything they’d faced before.

“Okay, not as funny now,” intoned Tanya, having watched the footage and fought not to get sick.

“Exactly. They are formidable opponents, and have earned their reputation. And we’re all that stand between them and conquering Earth.”

“What happens if we don’t stop them?” asked Jason suddenly, making more than a few of the others look at him in fearful understanding that they really were all that stood between Blood and the Earth.

There was a long pause before Billy swallowed hard and looked at Jason. “Then we’re in serious trouble.”

“Do we have a list of powers, weapons, ships they’re packing?” Zack questioned worriedly, trying to change the subject to something a little more optimistic.

“Yeah, we need to know their defenses, their offensive strengths…” Tommy added quickly, recognizing the need to redirect the conversation following Jason’s dire question.

“I do. I will give everyone a detailed briefing… but I think we should call it a day and start fresh tomorrow. I can suit up those of you on the active team in your uniforms and go over powers and stuff tomorrow…” Billy suggested.

“Do we really have time for that?” Adam asked sincerely, concern lacing his voice.

Suddenly someone yawned, sparking several others to do the same in rapid fire succession, bringing to light the stark reality that it had been a very long and exhausting day already. Many of the team had traveled across country to get to Billy’s meeting and were starting to feel the effects. Based on Billy’s own assurances, Blood was still weeks away. They could afford a little time to settle in and get some rest.

“I think we all need it,” remarked Billy once again. “Some of you need to check out of hotels or pick up luggage from friends… Everyone can come back and have something to eat and get some sleep before we start again in the morning.”

With that, everyone sighed and started moving away from the command center screens. No one was really comfortable following Billy’s presentation around Blood’s forces to do much more than try to figure out what to do next. Finally someone took action, getting everyone’s attention to make a plan of action… and it was a surprise to some that it was Kimberly.

“Okay, I think we need to coordinate here. Where are you guys staying?” Kim asked Jason, Tommy, Adam, Tanya, Zack, Rocky and Kat.

“I live near here,” Trini added, holding up her car keys. “I picked up Kim and Aisha at the airport and they were staying with me. Anyone need a ride somewhere?”

“I brought a rental car… which I probably should take back,” stated Jason, looking to his friend beside him.

“Me too. I figured to go back to my hotel and pick up my luggage, check out and return the car to the rental car lot,” Tommy replied.

“I took a cab from the airport,” announced Adam, and then he looked to some of the others, “Anyone staying at the Holiday Inn near SFO?”

A pair of hands went up, showing that Kat and Tanya were in the same place. Then others tossed in their locations and Kim, Aisha and Trini started making a plan. Adam, Kat and Tanya would take a cab back to their hotel and return the same way. Jason would take his rental car back after dropping off Rocky and Zack at their downtown SF hotel. Tommy would check out of his hotel, which was in an entirely different direction from everyone else and take his car back to the airport. There he and Jason would meet up for a taxi back to the warehouse. 

“Trini will take Aisha and I back to her place to pack up our stuff, then we’ll pick up Rocky and Zack and bring them back with us. Kat, Adam and Tanya can get a cab from their hotel,” Kim finished explaining in detail, focusing the group on the game plan.

“Billy, is there any food in that kitchen?” Aisha asked, knowing that there were going to be hungry people coming back.

“Yes. Should I’ll start something to eat for when you come back?” he asked plaintively.

“If you’re up to it, sure; or you can wait until Tanya and I return… we’re pretty good with a spatula,” Kat commented with a grin as she looked at her fellow former ranger and received a smile in return.

“Alright, let’s get moving. Once we get back, we’ll have some food, visit and bunk down so we can start fresh tomorrow,” Kim stated assuredly.

Armed with a plan, people began heading out, Trini leading the way with Aisha and Kim right behind her, knowing they had to pick up people and pack Trini up before getting back to the warehouse.

“When did Kim become all organized?” Rocky asked Adam as the two of them trailed behind the others as they made their way towards the door leading to the empty warehouse room.

“Maybe she’s always been like this… I mean Jason and then Tommy were leaders of the team. If they weren’t here, maybe…” Adam started.

“She’s picked up the slack for the team before,” Jason stated, joining the other two men as he butted into the conversation.

“It’s true,” added Tommy, turning back and slowing down to gauge the other’s reactions, “When Jason left the team and I was the white ranger, I know I leaned on her more than once to help keep the group together.”

“Well looks like she’s back to taking that responsibility again,” Tanya interjected as she and Kat caught up with the guys, having heard most of the conversation that Aisha, Kim and Trini had missed in their eagerness to get back to Trini’s apartment.

A series of shrugged shoulders answered her and the conversation came to an abrupt halt. How the new team was going to function was going to be an interesting proposition that several people had begun to ponder since the team had been selected. While the guys had worked with both Kim and Kat, the two women had never been on the team at the same time before – Kim having passed the pink ranger powers to Kat. So seeing how the two women got along with one another as well as within the group was still an unknown.

People exited the warehouse and made their way to the nearby parking lot, piling into cars or hailing cabs on the Embarcadero and starting off on their journeys. Jason dropped Zack and Rocky off, knowing they’d be picked up soon by Kim, Trini and Aisha. Then he headed to the airport, knowing Tommy would probably arrive at the rental car drop off around the same time he would, since he had to stop and get his things and check out.

Within an hour Jason and Tommy had met up at the taxi stand in front of the international terminal for the airport per their plan. Waving down a cab was easy and the two climbed in, bags in hand as they gave the driver the address for the warehouse. In the close confines of the cab, Jason ventured to ask the question that had piqued his curiosity since the active team had been chosen and had been brought to light following the telling conversation with Rocky, Adam and Tommy.

“So, how do you think working with Kim and Kat is going to go?” Jason asked Tommy as the cab pulled away from the curb.

“I don’t know. Kat and I ended things amicably… and Kim and I…” Tommy started, and then trailed off.

“When I came into the command center earlier, you two seemed much calmer than I’ve seen you before… well, since before you broke up.”

“Did you know Kim’s letter wasn’t true?” Tommy asked suddenly, turning on his friend, who he recalled was Kim’s friend first and had stayed Kim’s friend even after the breakup.

Jason quickly looked out the window of the cab, suddenly uncomfortable at his friend’s question. “Not until she and I talked after the karate tournament in Angel Grove.”

“Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“There wasn’t anything more to say. You were with Kat… what difference did it make if Kim was alone; if the letter was a lie to get your attention? What was done was done.”

“But I could have apologized… known what I had done instead of blaming Kim all these years,” Tommy complained bitterly. “Maybe even…”

“What?” asked Jason, his eyes finally swinging back to his friend.

“I don’t know… never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

The cab turned quiet again as Jason stared at Tommy, knowing that in fact it did matter. Kim still loved Tommy. This was something he knew for a fact. And Tommy… the way he’d held onto Kim after discussing the letter with her… For now maybe they were friends and team mates, but in the long run, he was certain that proximity, shared memories and shared responsibilities of being rangers again and their own inherent feelings for one another would pull Tommy and Kim back together again. 

And hopefully this time his idiot friend wouldn’t screw it up, he thought with a hidden grin.


	6. It’s Like Riding a Bike

The team had congregated at the warehouse later that evening, Billy having waited for Kat and Tanya to return and turn out some chicken breasts, pasta and salad. Over the meal and then following as they moved to the couches and chairs in the living area, the friends began catching up on their lives, talking about significant others, work, school, friends… 

For Billy it was all new while for others who had kept in touch, it was simply updates on what they already knew. Jason talked about his job in marketing, his place in New York and his girlfriend Stacey whom he’d met at work. Tanya talked about living in Los Angeles and working as a studio singer, and how she’d just started dating a producer named Matt. Zack followed up with his status performing in Las Vegas in a touring company of Rent and how he and Angela from Angel Grove had hooked up again after all the years since high school. Kat quickly added she was dancing as well, but for a ballet company in Washington D.C., where she was living with another dancer from the troop named Damon.

Both Kim and Adam were living in Florida, both single. Adam was teaching at a dojo while Kim was working two jobs; one as a physical therapist and another as a personal gymnastics coach. Trini was a transplanted native of the city they were now living in, having moved to San Francisco and was working in the insurance industry, and teaching karate at the YMCA. She looked to Kim with a shrug and a furtive glance in Billy’s direction when asked about if she was seeing anyone, and answered in the negative.

Everyone was aware that Tommy and Aisha were in school following Jason’s remarks earlier; Tommy pursuing his masters and Aisha was in veterinarian school. What surprised everyone was when they talked about their love life, at the prompting of several of the team. Tommy reluctantly stated that he was single again having broken up with Kat following high school, but it was Aisha’s cagy reply that she was casually dating someone… 

“Who?” asked Kim curiously; wanting to know why Aisha hadn’t said anything in the nearly nine months they’d been back in touch following Aisha returning to the states.

Aisha seemed reluctant to reply until Rocky took the decision from her and reached over to catch her hand in his, letting the secret out. 

“No way!” said Kat, stunned at idea that the friends and former red and yellow rangers had hooked up.

“We’re still figuring it out, so we really haven’t told anyone,” explained Rocky, giving his best friend Adam an apologetic look since both he and Aisha hadn’t even told their best friend.

“How did this happen?” questioned Zack as he grinned at the two who seemed happy with their new found relationship.

“We met for coffee after I arrived in Chicago for school. I didn’t know he was living there too until I ran into him during his lunch break from his consulting job at Boeing… then we went out for lunch, and it just sort of snowballed from there,” explained Aisha.

“That’s so great,” Tanya commented happily.

“I’m just annoyed you two didn’t tell me. I can keep a secret…” Adam complained, even though there wasn’t any heat to his tone.

“Sorry Adam,” replied Aisha, smiling apologetically at their friend.

“I guess that means that Tommy’s no longer the only ranger guy to date a team mate,” Trini remarked, glancing from Kat to Kim and then to their shared former boyfriend.

“A title which I am more than happy to ditch,” Tommy answered swiftly, his eyes discretely glancing towards one of the two former girlfriends as he considered what it would be like to have that kind of relationship again.

Before anyone realized it, time had flown and the hour had grown late. There was a lot still to do in the following days. A few yawns and Adam and Kat, having come cross country were starting to nod off, prompting Billy to intervene.

“Okay, I think we need to pack it in for the night. Rooms are upstairs. If you didn’t pick out one earlier, you can do it now,” he announced, getting up in the hopes of encouraging everyone else to do the same.

“Hey, where is your room?” Trini asked Billy, having realized they’d been directed to the free rooms, but that Billy had been there for a year, living in the space. Kim gave Jason a small grin as she noted the former yellow ranger seemed to be trying to reconnect with the first blue ranger.

“Uh… I have the locked room here on this floor; just next to the elevator… it made it easer each day to get as much done as I could. And I didn’t have to take the stairs…”

“Ah… “ replied Trini, making several other members of the group wonder what was up with the two.

“I’ll set the command center to wake us all at seven?” Billy asked, trying to change the topic.

“That sounds good. We have a lot of work to do,” remarked Tommy.

With that, everyone got up, taking the stairs or walking across the living space to the ground level rooms. Since Tommy and Kim had not done it earlier, they were left with the two remaining empty rooms… which somehow ended up being at the end of the hallway up the stairs… and right next to one another.

“You ready for this?” Tommy asked as he stood there by the door to his new room, the shoulder strap of his carry on bag gripped tightly in his hand.

“It’s been a long time, and the circumstances are… well, dire, but I’m sort of looking forward to doing this again. It’s strange, isn’t it?” Kim replied, her own luggage held in both hands before her, near her knees.

“Not really. I always was surprised at how easily Zack, Trini and Jase left so long ago. And I know what its like to lose the powers only to get them back… twice, remember?”

“Well, this will make three times,” Kim remarked, a small smile gracing her face, the sight of which made Tommy ponder again the chances of rekindling something with Kim. “And they say third time’s a charm.”

Tommy simply nodded and retired to his room. They were utilitarian – a bed, a dresser and a lamp. Without unpacking, he dropped his bag to the floor and flopped down on the bed, his arms folding under his head as he looked at the ceiling. 

He signed and closed his eyes, planning to get up and change before crashing. Instead he was asleep before he knew it.

-x-

The following morning, Billy had breakfast laid out before he started walking through the warehouse, knocking on doors and waking people up. Doors began to open and team member after team member trickled out to the smell of waffles and bacon. People quickly descended on the food, chatting and overall anxious to start the day, knowing what was in store.

“So, when are we going to get to try on our uniforms?” Rocky asked with enthusiasm as he took a big bite of waffle.

“Today… after breakfast?” Billy semi-asked, hoping that starting off first thing was okay with everyone.

“Awesome!” Adam exclaimed around a piece of bacon.

Quickly people ate and then ran off to clean up and change. For the five team members who had picked the coins and would be wearing the ranger uniforms, it was going to be trading one set of ‘clothes’ for another. When everyone had assembled, the active five followed Billy into the command center while the others hung back slightly. With a touch of a button, Billy opened the glass case to the uniforms.

Each reached up and took down the helmet for their suit. Then the rest of the uniform came down on a clothes form. The five looked from one to the other, still stunned at the prospect of wearing the uniform once again.

“Go suit up,” Billy coaxed, sending the quintet to their rooms.

While the main five changed, Billy started discussing the equipment with the others, discussing how he would go over the command center controls, zord and weapon specs, medical and zord bay and systems overrides with everyone. Before long the first person was down the stairs and walked into the common area. 

The new yellow ranger was all suited up.

“Wow Billy,” said Kat as she joined the others in her new uniform, the suit’s helmet under her arm.

“I take it they fit?” Billy asked with a grin. It was somewhat strange seeing her in yellow, but the color nearly matched her flowing blond hair.

“Yes. Perfectly!”

“How’d you do that? You had no idea who would be wearing them,” questioned Tanya, coming closer along with the other two former yellow rangers to inspect the garment.

“Special materials. Didn’t you all wonder how you, Rocky, Adam and Kat all fit in suits that someone else had worn first?”

“Not really…” Tanya answered.

“Well, that makes a lot of sense,” interjected Rocky, as he came out from his room, the blue ranger uniform filled out by his physique.

“Looking good,” teased Aisha, and Rocky came by and gave her a slight peck on the cheek.

“Come on you guys!” called out Zack towards the bedrooms. “Hurry up!”

With that, the last three hurried up and joined the others; the black, red and pink rangers rounding out the group.

“So, how does it feel?” asked Jason, coming over and clapping a hand on Tommy’s red-clad shoulder.

“Strange. Familiar. And a little scary,” Tommy replied. “Adam, Kim?”

“Its way better than I thought it would be,” Adam confirmed.

“I have to echo that. These suits… Billy, they’re amazing. Zordon would be proud,” said Kim fondly, causing Billy to blush a bit and several of the others to choke up.

“Thanks Kim. So, you have your suits, let’s start going over what else you have.”

“You already showed us all the swords and pistols,” remarked Trini. “Is there more than that?”

“Not really… just, well, we need to go look at the zords.”

The whole group seemed energized at the idea. They’d seen the zords on the view screen… but up close…

“Let’s go!” enthused Tanya.

“We need to take the elevator down,” explained Billy, heading for said elevator with the two different parts of the team following. 

Somehow they all scrunched into the elevator and started downwards. It seemed to take a long while before

“It’s so strange having zords underwater,” noted Zack absently as his ears popped at the continued depth.

“Really? The Dragonzord was underwater,” reminded Tommy.

“True,” Jason acknowledged. “But it was the only one.”

They continued down the shaft, the elevator going deeper than most of them had expected. Finally the lift stopped and the doors slowly opened. The whole gang piled out, entering the zords enclosure. The hangar space was huge, and taking up five prominent places were the zords.

Which looked very familiar to some of the group there.

“Billy… the Zeo zords?” asked Tanya, stunned.

“Not exactly. They’re similar, but they were the easiest for me to replicate, since I worked on the original ones.

In fact, these Photon zords were sleeker, less bulky than their predecessor Zeo zords. But the idea that they were similar meant that Adam, Rocky, Kat and Tommy had an advantage that Kim didn’t. They were more familiar with the zords than she would be. And Tommy knew it instantly.

“Kim, you should have Tanya give you some pointers on the controls if you have questions… or I can help,” he said softly.

“Thanks,” Kim replied with a smile, actually deeply touched at his concern.

“Okay everyone, let’s go check out our new rides,” stated Tommy, with a wide grin as everyone doubled up to go check out Billy’s most recent marvel.


	7. Long Time Coming

Teaming up, the five new rangers and five support team members moved to the zords, climbing access ladders to get to the cockpits. Billy stayed near the elevator, moving to a remote control panel and entering a code into it.

“As you can see,” Billy began, his voice transmitting into the cockpits of each of the zords so everyone could hear him, “the controls are pretty basic. I didn’t have time to create special powers for each of them… not even the tools to do it, but you have the same core weapons that the PhotonMegaZord has – just on a smaller scale.”

The teams reviewed the weapons, displays and layouts of their zords individually, resulting in each team having the chance to work closely together; and in doing so, talk.

“That was a good idea,” Jason said as he sat beside Tommy in the Red zord cockpit, reviewing the different weapons specifications.

“What?” asked Tommy distractedly, as he ran his hands across the console before him, trying to imprint in his mind which buttons were in the same place as before in the Zeo zords.

“Suggesting Tanya help Kim.”

Tommy turned to regard Jason, his face open and honest. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, frowning a bit as he glanced away from his long time friend.

“I figured she could use the help, and with the zords being so close to the Zeo ones, having someone who had piloted them to help her get familiarized seemed like the right thing to do.”

“It was. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you cared a bit too much about Kimberly’s feelings and welfare,” Jason half-heartedly teased, causing Tommy to flush slightly. “Or do I not even have to wonder if that’s the case… ever since you two talked, you seem a lot more comfortable; especially with Kim.”

“I… damn it Jase, this really isn’t the time,” Tommy complained, but without any real heat to his tone of voice.

“And the years you two dated with Rita and Zedd constantly threatening everyone and everything was a good time?”

Whipping his head around, Tommy stared at his friend. Obviously the matter of his feelings for Kimberly wasn’t something Jason was going to let him ignore… even if he felt like he really should; if not for himself, or for Kim, but for the sake of the team and the earth.

“You want to know how I’m feeling?” Tommy asked, his voice rising in pitch, “I just found out a day ago that the worst evil we’ve ever faced is coming at us at breakneck speed, I’m the leader again, my two exes are on the team with me and I just found out the woman I loved… no, scratch that, still love never fell out of love with me. It’s too much way too fast.”

“Really?” Jason questioned, arching an eyebrow at his friend.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that you always were more comfortable when Kim was by your side. Don’t you think that might be the case now? And if this really is as bad a situation as we think it is, maybe having someone here you can count on…” Jason started, and when Tommy looked to interrupt him, pushed forward quickly, “and if something happens to you, or her, god forbid, would you want to have never told her how you feel?”

Tommy looked surprised and then sobered at his friend’s comment. He recalled many a time when he’d been afraid for Kim’s life, or even his own. And he always felt better knowing that she knew he loved her and would do anything for her. Right now they had their friendship back again, and she’d come right out and told him she still loved him. Would telling her he felt the same make any difference in the scheme of things? Or was Jason right that he could use having that confidant, the fiercely loyal lover he remembered back with him while he faced this new evil.

It was something to consider.

“I’ll think about it Jase…”

Jason nodded, clasping his hand on Tommy’s shoulder in support. He knew it had to be tough, but he’d never seen two people who seemed meant for each other like Tommy and Kim did. And as their friend, he felt he was obligated to 

Across the way, the object of their discussion reviewed the systems in the Pink zord, with Tanya providing instruction on things based on her previous knowledge of the Zeo zords.

“Thanks for the assist. It’s a whole lot easier with you here,” Kim stated with a small smile.

“Not a problem. I’m happy my expertise can come in handy.”

“I almost feel you should have gotten the uniform at this rate.”

“Nah… I served my time. I’m perfectly happy letting you get a second chance at this,” Tanya deferred simply. “I’ll be more than happy to help Billy and the others with the Command Center duties.

“I wonder how everyone else is doing?” wondered Kim aloud, prompting Tanya to look out the cockpit at the other zords.

“Adam and Zack seem to be getting along, and Jason and Tommy are long time friends,” Tanya pointed out. “Kat and Aisha served together before I joined the team, so they’re good…”

“That left Rocky and Aisha… oh boy, maybe we shouldn’t have let them team up in the Blue zord…”

“You don’t think…”

Kim gave Tanya a smirk, knowing her friend and the ever boyish Rocky were probably up to no good in the privacy of their zord. Pushing a button on the console that Tanya said was the open switch for the comms, Kim planned to check that no hanky panky was going on while they were supposed to be learning.

“Aisha, you’re working over there, right?” Kim asked pointedly, but with a hint of humor in her voice.

There was silence for a minute before Aisha responded, sounding slightly out of breath. “We’re behaving ourselves…”

“Sure you are,” Kim replied quickly. “You’re my best friend, and I know how you are. And that’s not even taking into account Rocky’s bad influence.”

“Hey, I know it’s serious,” Rocky quickly added. “But it’s been a while since we’ve been alone and well…”

Tommy sighed at his seat in the Red zord. He couldn’t really fault Rocky. There were times he’d been with Kim like that, and Kat too. With the realization that Rocky and Aisha were a couple, and following Jason’s little speech, he couldn’t help but have memories of Kim and he making out in his Falconzord flood his mind. 

From the Yellow zord, Kat and Trini laughed. For Kat, she could recall using the private time she and Tommy had claimed after a battle in his Zeo zord. They would have done the same with the Red Thunder zord, had the compartment not been too small. Still, they were memories only… her relationship with Tommy had come to an end, she was with someone else, and if she guessed right, Tommy and Kim looked to be back on again any time soon.

In the Black zord, Adam shook his head a bit at his two best friends behavior and turned back to the task at hand, focusing on the controls with Zack by his side, taking mental notes as Adam pointed out weapon and controls and displays...

“Do you wish sometimes you hadn’t gone to Geneva?” asked Adam suddenly, looking at the first Black ranger beside him.

“Once in a while,” replied Zack with a slightly forlorn voice. “But it was just my time to go and yours to join. Sharing the responsibility made it easier, you know?”

“Yeah.”

The teams settled back into their individual zords and the tasks appointed to them when Rocky remembered that they were under San Francisco bay. And that meant they had to leave the hangar bay to get onto solid ground or space. 

“So, how do we get out of here?” Rocky asked, expecting Billy have some awesome solution to the potential flooding of the hangar bay when the zords left.

“The door has an energy seal. You pass through it and the water stays out,” Billy explained patiently, a smile on his face as he realized the team was starting to quickly come together.

“Pretty slick,” remarked Zack as he looked at the door in question.

Several others made noises agreeing with Zack, and Billy fought to blush when Trini made a quiet comment about being a handsome genius. 

“Okay, I know you’re all getting comfortable and all, but I need to split everyone up for a while,” Billy said over the systems communications link, prompting a nearly inaudible grumble of complaint from someone, several people guessing that it was most likely Rocky. “While the active team stays down here, I could use everyone else upstairs.”

There was a moment when the back up team hesitated before heeding the request. Yet they knew there was a lot more to learn about the Command Center’s workings that they needed to know more than the active team did. Still, Jason paused a bit longer, regarding Tommy with a stare.

“Get going bro,” Tommy stated seriously, and Jason nodded. “I want you and the others as well versed on the internal systems as we are on the zord controls. I’m trusting you and the others with keeping us informed and safe out there.”

Zack, Trini, Tanya, Aisha and Jason climbed from their positions in the cockpits of the zords and met up with Billy at the elevator. Quickly they made their way back to the Command Chamber and Billy began going over the command center’s systems. All five of them took their jobs seriously... while they weren’t in uniform like the others, without a Zordon or Dimitria to help, it was up to them to support the active rangers. To do that the rest of the team needed to know everything about the new command center, the weapons, mechanics and systems, inside and out. 

Billy ran down everything they had available to them: the transporter, the weapons and uniforms, the command center’s consoles and view screens, the zords and hangar bay and the medical bay. Giving people a choice to choose where they wanted to start, Tanya and Aisha had taken to the medical bay, learning about the advances Billy had brought with him in medicine from Aquitar. Zack and Trini delved into the schematics of the zords, weapons and suits to learn everything they could about them. Jason worked with Billy to understand the command centers systems… the viewing screen, satellite features, communications…

While everyone would learn everything, each had a skill that made them suited for a specific task… their own specialty. Everything they could do to be sure the team was as strong as it could be when Blood finally did arrive drove them all to do their best. So they dove into their assignments as their counterparts did the same hundreds of feet below them.

-x-

Billy had called over the communications system that everyone needed a break and to come upstairs for lunch. The five active rangers had reluctantly heeded the request, realizing that they’d been inside their zords for hours following breakfast. They all filed towards the elevator, still preoccupied with the learning curve of the new zords, and Tommy was concerned about one of the team in particular.

“So, you feel sufficiently caught up?” Tommy asked Kim with a low voice.

“Sort of. It’s different from any zord I ever had before… they all flew,” Kimberly replied simply even though her body language screamed tension and worry.

“You’ll get used to it,” he replied, remembering switching from the Falconzord so many years ago.

“Really?” Kim questioned, and then quickly turned to look to Kat. “Did you?”

“I didn’t have your zord long before we got the Zeo powers,” Kat responded simply, not wanting to cause any waves with her team mate.

“But you made the transition…” Kim continued, garnering questioning looks from the men in the elevator car.

“Yes… but it took a bit of time.”

“Which we may not have.”

“Kim…” Tommy said finally, wanting to get Kim off the track of feeling like she wasn’t up to par with Kat or any of the others…

“She’s right,” remarked Adam suddenly, cutting off Tommy as he looked to the others seriously. “Blood is like nothing we’ve faced before. You know it Tommy. We need to be better than we’ve ever been to stop him.”

“We all know that Adam. And we’re gonna be that team… we were rangers for a long time… we can do this again. But can we not dwell on this right now?” Rocky asked, trying to keep the peace. “I’m hungry.”

“And this is news how?” Adam snarked back at his friend, prompting Rocky to lightly punch him in the arm.

“Ha ha… I’m serious. We’re gonna be fine. All of us,” he said, pointedly looking at Kim with a smile. “Still, can’t we just have lunch without worrying about Blood’s arrival?”

Everyone looked to Tommy. Being the leader, his ‘permission’ to put aside their duties for a little while was sought after by everyone.

“An hour or two not obsessing about it would probably be good for all of us,” Tommy remarked finally, prompting a sigh from everyone around him, and Kim almost seemed to visibly relax at his words.

“Then let’s get upstairs and have something to eat so I can visit with Aisha…” said Rocky, jogging to the elevator and punching the up button until the car finally arrived and the doors opened.

Adam rolled his eyes at Rocky and followed him into the car, Kat right behind him. Hearing Rocky so openly speaking of how he was in a hurry to see Aisha made Tommy recall his conversation with Jason. He looked over to where Kim walked beside him and suddenly slowed down, reaching out to catch Kimberly’s arm and hold her back a ways from the elevator. 

“Kim…” he started, his voice pitched low and soft.

“What’s up?” she asked, her head tilting to the side slightly as she regarded him curiously.

“You have a second?”

She shrugged and then her eyes caught his, where she saw the loving, soft glow within their chocolate depths, which was directed at her. She recognized that look… it haunted her dreams and made her heart beat faster. And seeing it once again made her heart flutter in her chest.

“You guys go… we’ll catch up,” Tommy absently announced, not even sparing the rest of the team a look as he found himself emotionally ensnared by the woman he was holding in his grasp.

Three sets of eyes widened and then did as they were asked, closing the elevator doors and riding it up to the Command Center. They knew that Tommy and Kim would more than likely come out of the elevator a couple once again if everything that had happened in the last couple of days was any indication. And none of them begrudged them their chance at happiness.

There was a silence for a few moments following the sound of the elevator doors closing. Tommy and Kim stood there; his hand still around her arm, yet neither seemed to notice. It reminded them both of years and tears past when Tommy had held her hand so delicately as he’d attempted to put his feelings into words.

But those days were gone and they were grown ups now. And Kim had no qualms about prompting him this time around. 

“Tommy? Did you want something?” she asked candidly, her smile growing ever so slightly.

Her words cut through the fog that had taken up residence in his brain and brought Tommy back to the matter at hand. Jason had said more than once since they’d been reunited that if he wanted Kim, the second chance was there, waiting for him to take it. And like Kim, he no longer had the same fears and hang ups he did when they were teenagers.

“Since I got here and saw you, all I’ve been able to think about was us,” he started simply, his hand now easing from where it held Kim’s arm to allow his thumb to run along her bicep, over her uniform. “I’d thought it was over between us, but when I heard that you’d never loved someone else… that you’d always wanted me; I realized that I’ve always wanted you too. I never thought I’d get this chance again, to be with the one woman who always made me want to be a better man. But with everything happening and the uncertainty we’re facing, Jason made me understand that I needed to say this now, just in case…”

Kim watched breathlessly as Tommy smiled at her, and her heart stopped.

“I love you Kimberly Ann Hart. I always will. And if you’d be willing to take a chance and be with me, be my friend and team mate and lover once again… I promise I will never hurt you again.”

Before he could react, Kim launched herself at him, her arm pulling from his grasp as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. A second later, Tommy had wrapped his arms around her back and waist and kissed her back just as enthusiastically, realizing that Blood could come with every single weapon at his disposal and he’d be ready for him, as long as he had Kim by his side.


	8. Calm Before the Storm

“Where’s Tommy and Kim?” Jason asked as Kat, Adam and Rocky exited the elevator from the hangar bay.

“Our fearless leader and Kim are still down there… having a chat,” answered Rocky as he moved to greet Aisha where she stood in the living area near the dining table with a kiss.

“So, they’re down there…” Aisha started once Rocky had pulled away from her lips.

“Hopefully straightening things out,” stated Adam, looking over to Katherine to gauge her reaction at the turn of events with regards to her ex-boyfriend. 

“Which I think we can all agree would be a good thing,” Kat answered, meeting Adam’s stare and looking at everyone else. “It certainly isn’t an issue to me… Damon and I are very happy, and will be again once we defeat Blood and send him packing. Tommy and Kimberly… well, to be honest, it’s not a surprise that their feelings are still there.”

“Were they really that much in love?” asked Tanya, still behind in the Tommy/Kimberly love story lore.

“Yeah,” remarked Billy absently, thinking back on so many times when one or the other of them had gone to great lengths to aid the other as rangers, and the comfortable ease they had as a couple.

“Kim was smitten the first day she met Tommy,” Trini added, looking to Zack and Jason as they shared memories of the karate tournament that changed so many things in their lives – as friends and rangers.

“And neither of them were really happy following the breakup…” stated Jason, remembering his experiences with Kim during their diving trip near Angel Grove that ended up becoming a kidnapping and his talks with Tommy after the karate tournament following their rescue.

“So this becomes a second chance for them in more ways than one…” Adam confirmed, his own thoughts filling with how he’d ended up reading Kim’s letter so many years ago.

“That it does,” Billy acknowledged as Trini came over to him and rested her hand on his shoulder with a smile, “that it does.”

-x-

Before long the elevator finally made its way from the hangar bay to the personal space of the warehouse with its two occupants. The moment the doors opened there were nine sets of eyes that instantly turned from whatever they were doing to pin Tommy and Kimberly with their gazes. The looks were obvious in their unspoken question: were the former lovers back together again? Tommy regarded their friends and team mates and then turned his head to regard Kim’s face, still openly staring at the group staring at them.

“There’s never been any secrets between rangers,” Tommy said simply, reaching over to take Kim’s hand in his and to her surprise, pressed a light kiss to the back of it, ending the speculation with the action.

With Tommy’s open and obvious public affection, there was no longer any doubt – their leader had rekindled his romance with the former/new pink ranger. Within moments they were converged on, receiving hugs, handshakes and well wishes. Tommy and Kim were both surprised that Kat lead the pack.

“We’re all happy for you, really,” Kat announced simply as she gave Tommy a smile and then threw a wink to Kim.

“Just don’t screw it up this time,” interjected Jason with a slap of his hand to Tommy’s shoulder.

“We’ll do our best,” Kim retorted with a grin back to one of her oldest friends before he reached over to hug her tightly.

“It certainly seems like old times,” added Zack as he congratulated the two.

“You’re right. With Kimberly and Tommy together…” Trini began, before she was cut off.

“We’re back in business,” Aisha interjected with a wide grin, bringing Tommy up short.

“We? You make it sound like our relationship affects the team somehow,” Tommy remarked incredulously. 

“In a way it does. Weren’t you together during the toughest times against Zedd?” Rocky questioned sincerely.

Tommy looked from Rocky to with a pole axed expression. It was true… they’d been a couple during the worst Zedd had thrown at them and survived; and so had the team. Being a couple had been stressful, yes, but the benefits of having Kim for support while Tommy had led the team had helped him greatly. His thought immediately flashed on Jason’s similar remarks in the hangar bay earlier and wondered if everyone had that same opinion of how his and Kim’s relationship had impacted the team. He was surprised when Kim spoke up…

“Yes, we were… but you guys faced some nasty bad guys after I left. King Mondo…” Kim began, only to get cut off by Tanya.

“Was bad news, no doubt about it; but things were always… problematic. Tommy did the best he could…” trailed off Tanya started, unsure where to continue with the thought, having no real first hand knowledge of how Tommy was as a leader with Kimberly in his life.

“It wasn’t like when you were there,” Billy suddenly remarked, jumping into the conversation. “You both were better rangers when you were together. Most of us who served with one or both of you when you were together and when you were apart know it, and I think that you both know it too. It’s why we’re all happy for you, as well as hoping that it helps the whole team.”

“Jeez, no pressure or anything,” Kim said with a light tone.

“No, just positive vibes, that’s all,” Aisha added, moving to catch one of Kim’s hands with hers. “Besides, I can’t be the only girl hooking up with a ranger, now can I?”

At that, Kim shook her head and grabbed a hold of her friend to give her a hug.

“No, but it does mean we can compare notes,” replied Kim, making both Tommy and Rocky nervous.

“Okay, enough of the girly talk, how about we get some food and get back to work?” asked Zack, breaking off from the group to hit the refrigerator. “We’ve got enough food here to feed all of us… and Rocky too!”

Laughter broke out and Rocky made a face. But he still booked over to the fridge where Zack had started pulling out food for making sandwiches to make sure he got enough.

-x-

Once lunch ended, Billy was back to coordinating the teams’ activities. He was determined to make sure that everyone knew every area of the Command Center, just in case.

“Okay - ‘active’ team, I am going to provide you with a crash course on the support systems in the Command Center, so you know how things work,” Billy announced once Adam, Kim and Tanya had cleaned off the dining table and put everything in the dishwasher.

“What about us?” asked Aisha from where she sat in a loveseat in the TV area… on Rocky’s lap.

“I think it would be best for the ‘support’ team to spend some time reviewing the powers and weapons the ranger uniforms have, and if you have time, check out the rest of the hangar bay. Tomorrow everyone will get that briefing on Blood’s tactics, weapons and forces…”

“It sounds like a lot of cross-training,” remarked Jason, thinking of why he had had to learn about Tommy’s green ranger powers back in the day. “Are you concerned?”

“No… I just want us to be prepared,” was Billy’s very simple reply.

With that, no one had any more questions, and Jason led the support team to the hangar bay to let Billy go over the teleportation, communications and other support systems with the active group. Once Jason had his ‘team’ in the elevator, Aisha decided she wanted an answer.

“Jason, what did you mean by that question to Billy?”

“I just wanted to know what he was thinking about with the assignments,” Jason replied without any embellishment.

“You’re thinking Billy wants replacements trained,” Trini stated bluntly, looking to her long time friend.

“That’s crazy,” interjected Zack.

“No, it’s expedient,” answered Tanya. “Billy’s seen a lot since some of you left the team… if he’s worried about us handling Blood…”

“He wants to make sure that if something happens, we can step in,” Jason added, looking to the others and seeing their worried faces, Aisha’s especially. “But it’s our job to make sure that never happens.”

-x-

After spending the afternoon hours on their assigned tasks, the team finally broke for the day, converging on the rec area and ready for dinner. Kat and Aisha volunteered to cook, with a bit of help from Billy and Rocky. While others relaxed and visited, the foursome whipped up some meatballs and spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. Once the table was filled, everyone gravitated over and found a seat before digging in. 

“So, tomorrow is the opponent briefing?” asked Tommy, before taking a fork full of pasta.

Before Billy could reply, Zack coughed a bit and everyone turned to look at him.

“Look, I’m all for being prepared, but do we want to make a rule… no shop talk at dinner?” asked Zack, as the discussion at the table started to get a bit too serious regarding what everyone had been learning and Blood’s coming arrival.

“If we do that, we’re gonna have to talk a lot more about our personal lives,” Adam replied, pointedly looking at his close friends Aisha and Rocky, who had the decency to still be embarrassed for not telling their friend about their budding relationship.

“You have a problem with sharing?” questioned Jason, surprised at Adam’s comment.

“No… but other people might.”

“Look, we’re sorry,” Rocky offered, pointing to Aisha and himself and then flashing a Boy Scout salute. “We promise never to do it again.”

A few of the people at the table laughed at Rocky’s three fingered promise. 

“Okay,” Adam replied, smiling at the two of them.

“Besides, I thought Tommy said earlier that rangers didn’t have secrets from one another?” Tanya remarked, directing her fork towards where the red and pink rangers were sitting together.

“Well considering our relationship has always played out in front of the team, it was sort of hard to have secrets,” replied Kim before eating a bite of salad.

“True, we all did know when you two hooked up,” Trini noted with a small smile.

“Well, it was sort of hard not to notice,” Tommy added, reaching over to take Kim’s hand lovingly. “But yeah, I think Zack’s got a good idea. Let’s call it a night on all ranger related business. We’ll start fresh tomorrow?”

Everyone nodded in agreement and launched into their meal and non-ranger conversations. They visited and laughed as they ate, sharing their lives and getting to know more about their lives since leaving Angel Grove. When they’d all finished, Tommy, Kim, Tanya and Zack offered to clear and clean. Since everyone had agreed to having the evening off, people broke off into smaller groups. Billy sat with Trini and Kim, spending some time getting reacquainted with two of his long time friends and regaling them with stories from Aquitar. Tommy, Adam and Jason began discussing future plans and their current belt status. Aisha, Kat and Tanya sat on the couch and watched Rocky and Zack play Dance Dance Revolution on the big screen TV and game system Billy had set up, occasionally swapping in for a set.

Before long people had focused in on the dance game, each one taking a turn and causing everyone to cheer and laugh as Billy attempted to dance next to Jason. When they finished their game, there was a round of applause and Jason turned and sketched a mock bow.

“Thank you, we’ll be here all week,” joked Jason before Kim launched a throw pillow from the sofa at him, prompting him to move quickly and catch it before it hit his face.

“Alright, before Kim starts a pillow fight, I think maybe we should call it a night,” said Rocky, as he moved to wrap an arm around Aisha.

“I’m with Rocky… I’m wiped. I’m turning in,” stated Zack on a yawn before giving the group a wave and heading up the stairs to the top set of rooms.

“I’m gonna call Damon,” Kat said with a smile in Kim’s direction before she headed to her room and her cell phone in hand.

With the tide turning to crashing for the night, Aisha, Tanya, Rocky, Adam and Jason all headed off, leaving the rest of the team behind. Billy looked around and his gaze settled on Trini. He blinked behind his glasses a few time as he recalled something that he’d forgotten in all the preparation.

“What about you Trini? Did you want to go home and sleep in your own bed?” asked Billy, recalling that she actually lived locally.

“Not really. I like being here with… everyone,” she said, pausing before adding the ‘everyone’ to her answer, prompting Tommy, and Kim to share a look.

When Trini, Jason and Billy finally got up from the couch to head to their rooms, Kim stood and reached out for Tommy. He put his hand in hers and let her ‘help’ him up. Turning towards the stairs, she pulled him along behind her until she reached the door to her room. Coming to a halt, she released her grip and leaned backwards on the door as she watched him; her face tilted up towards him with an expression of expectation.

“Did you want to come in?” she said in a simple tone that to Tommy totally belied her suggestion.

He stood there, his eyes wide at the idea. Images and thoughts rushed through his mind and before he let his good sense kick in and override his emotions and hormones.

“I don’t think I should,” he forced himself to say, taking hold of one of her hands and lightly sweeping his thumb across the back.

“Why not?” she asked, clearly confused at his reply.

“Kim, we just got back together. I mean… there’s nothing I’d love more than to… have sex with you…but…”

“Whoa cowboy,” Kim said suddenly, her eyes widening and her face flushing a bright red as she backed up a bit, her hand falling away from Tommy’s grasp. “I just meant to come in and sit and talk, away from everyone, you know? Maybe cuddle a little… but… well, not that!”

Embarrassed, Tommy felt his own skin turning red.

“Look, I’m happy we’re back together. You know that,” Kim stated simply as she moved to close the slight gap between them. “But I think we need to get comfortable with each other first… to remember what it is like to be together.”

“I’m sorry, I thought…” he stammered, embarrassed at his assumption.

She smiled softly at him, understanding the potential for misunderstanding based on the question. In truth, she was secretly looking forward to the time when they could take that next step, but she didn’t want to have it be too soon.

“Well, at least I know that you’re interested,” she joked, leaning forward to catch his hand in hers once more.

“More than interested… but we shouldn’t jump into anything…”

“Agreed. But my invitation is still open. Want to come in and talk? If you want, we can cuddle…”

“That sounds… good. But if its anything like it used to be, I might end up falling asleep on the bed with you,” he stated, remembering one or two times when they’d been on the couch of his parent’s place and they’d gotten so comfortable they’d fallen asleep with her head on his chest and his arm around her back.

“I think I’ll chance it. Besides, you still don’t snore… right?” she asked as she opened the door to her room and backed inside, Tommy following and closing the door behind them.

-x-

Awakening to the buzzer Billy had set for the team’s wake up call was startling for Aisha, but it reminded her again that she wasn’t in Chicago but San Francisco. Of course, the arm thrown across her stomach also reminded her of that fact.

While they’d been dating in Chicago, since arriving in SF, she and Rocky had let themselves take things one step further. After they’d come clean to everyone about their relationship, Aisha had suggested that maybe they’d sleep easier in the same room, and Rocky had agreed quickly. Sharing the room was a nice change, and when they decided to take things further, to a more physical level, they’d at least be used to spending the night with one another.

Carefully she pried Rocky’s arm off her body and got up. Moving to the small bathroom she cleaned up and threw on a fresh set of jeans and a blouse. After putting on socks and shoes, she moved to the door to the room to look out into the rec area to see who else was up. Across the way, she saw Tommy leaving Kim’s room and heading to his own and couldn’t help but smile. 

It looked like she and Rocky weren’t the only ones taking advantage of the ‘co-ed’ living quarters. She would have to tease Kim at breakfast.

Other doors started opening and she knew that they needed to get moving. Turning back to the bed, she moved to Rocky’s side and reached down to shake him. He grumbled a bit and tried to roll away from her before she socked his arm with a fist.

“Come on Rocky… breakfast!”

With that his eyes popped open and he threw the covers off. Quickly he grabbed his pants from the floor beside the bed and shimmied into them. Standing up, he leaned over to give her a soft yet lingering kiss, and then the newly re-minted blue ranger hurriedly threw on his shirt and headed out the door, leaving Aisha to catch up. 

As Aisha hurried to catch up with Rocky, she met up with Kim coming out of her own room, and she caught her best friend by the arm and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially.

“You guys shacked up already?” she asked, a knowing grin lighting her face as her eyebrows wiggled.

“No! We just… hey, how did you…” Kim replied, confused and surprised.

“I saw him making a hasty exit this morning following the wake up call for everyone.”

“We fell asleep… nothing happened,” she insisted, even though her face flushed slightly.

“Of course,” Aisha remarked with a smile as they continued down the stairs and joined a few of the others that had already started milling in the rec area.

Before long, everyone was in the kitchen pouring cereal and milk, toasting bread or bagels or putting together bowls of yogurt, fruit and granola. As people settled at the table to eat, eyes roamed around the table with some anxiousness. Billy had promised to go over Blood’s tactical habits, forces and the like today. While they had all seen the videos, there was still a lot left to learn before Blood arrived and they wanted… needed to be prepared.

“So, we’re getting that briefing after breakfast, right Billy?” asked Tommy around a mouthful of toast.

“Yes. I’ve gotten all the information I could gather on Blood’s weapon capabilities, tactics, troop levels…” Billy remarked starkly. “I just wish I had more information and we had more time.”

“Are you thinking we still have a week or so?” Tanya questioned anxiously.

“As far as I know. I’m guessing at this point.”

“And once we have the briefing we can start discussing tactics,” remarked Jason, his mind thinking of how his support team could help with that duty even if they weren’t out in the field with Tommy and the others.

“Without flying zords, will we be at a disadvantage?” Kim queried out of the blue, her displeasure for not having a flying zord still evident.

“Your zords fly,” Billy argued, then backpedaled at Kim and Tommy’s stares. “Okay, they sort of fly. But the PhotonMegaZord does have the ability, just like the MegaNinjaZord did.”

“So it has thrusters, right?” Rocky questioned, trying to verify what he’d reviewed regarding their zords in the PhotonMegaZord configuration.

“Yes. So do the individual zords… but not to the same extent.”

“What about hand to hand?” asked Adam, knowing that not every battle the rangers ever fought was in their zords. 

That brought a few people up short. The hope had been to stop Blood in space. Without knowing what kind of fighting force they were taking on, a straight up battle in the streets of earth wasn’t something anyone was looking forward too. Years of battles in Angel Grove with casualties and damage to buildings and businesses had been tough to take some days. But they protected the city and earth the best they could.

“Look, we should table this for the moment and clear the dishes and then we can sit down and I’ll give everyone the full run down of what intelligence I have,” Billy stated, knowing that the restlessness of the team was going to just increase unless they got the information that they needed.

Tommy nodded in agreement and looked around the table to confirm the plan with the team. Just as everyone was getting up to move to the couches the command center suddenly filled with the sound of an ear splitting alarm and a glaring red light. It cut through the whole of the building and a mirror to it blared and flashed in the zord bay.

“Billy?” asked Tommy, the feeling of his stomach landing at his feet invading his senses at the sound resonating through the building.

“We’re out of time,” Billy said breathlessly. “He’s here.”


	9. Clash of the Titans

Billy’s words froze everyone in their tracks even as the room continued to be bathed in red light, the sound of the siren ringing through the large rooms.

“So, Blood is here…” Tommy began, looking to Kim, then to the members of his active team before returning his gaze to Billy.

“Yes.”

Billy’s base statement announcing that their adversary had finally arrived left some people sick to their stomachs, others anxious and nervous. Quickly the moment passed and the teams broke from the table, rushing to the command center. The support team took up their assignments, leaving the active team waiting for more information on what was going on. With a flip of a switch Billy silenced the alarm and doused the light, returning the building to its normal atmosphere.

“Where are they?” questioned Jason, helping Billy use the satellite taps that had been built into the surveillance system for the command center to scan the space around Earth for Blood’s location.

Suddenly a spot of light appeared at a stationary point just inside the boundaries of the moon, moving in what seemed slow motion towards the planet. Tanya frantically calculated its trajectory and estimated its end location would be somewhere off the western coast of the US. Searching the graphic topical maps for the western US coastline, she looked to project the landing spot. When it finally calculated she gave a small gasp.

“They’re headed here,” she said breathlessly, pulling up the end point for the trajectory the computer had been able to calculate from its starting point.

“Where?” asked Rocky, leaning over Tanya’s shoulder before she pulled up the map she’d tracked the path of the light streak to.

“They’re going to land in the city, in San Francisco… the computer calculates its exact touchdown point in the downtown… it looks to be an urban garden?” Tanya replied, confused by the trees and greenery she saw.

With a few more button pushes, an image appeared on one of the large screens for everyone to see, the representation of trees and grass surrounded by official looking buildings. The sun was cutting through the fog causing the area to look surreal. There were cars and people moving about through the streets and sidewalks around the park like area, obviously trying to get to their places of work as the day started. One of the team swore softly as she saw the image, causing people to turn to her.

“That’s Civic Center… there’s tons of people that work in those buildings, and City Hall is right there!” Trini exclaimed, knowing her adopted city well after the last two years of living there.

The urgency and concern in her voice ratcheted up the anxiety of the team, and all eyes turned to Tommy.

“We’ve got to go, rangers,” Tommy stated, his tone changing in an instant to reflect the leadership role he assumed for the Photon Ranger team.

Adam, Rocky, Kat, Kim and Tommy all moved together and away from the others, raising their right arms, their hands moving to press the spot on their left shoulder where the Photon Ranger badge sat on their uniforms but did not appear when they were in their civilian clothes and called out their assignments. As they did so, they called out their assigned ranger roles.

“Red Photon Ranger.”

“Pink Photon Ranger.”

“Blue Photon Ranger.”

“Yellow Photon Ranger.”

“Black Photon Ranger.”

Moments later, five uniformed power rangers stood in their places and were quickly rushing towards the transport pads. Those on the support team instantly took their stations, preparing for their part of the fight that was now ready to get underway.

“Transporting now!” cried Aisha, pressing the sequence of buttons to send the uniformed team out into the field and into the line of fire.

Five white beams enveloped the uniformed rangers and in seconds they were gone.

-x-

Moments later the uniformed team appeared in the center of San Francisco’s Civic Center square in a brilliant flash of light. A square block of grass, trees and a small playground was ringed by two to four story buildings, including San Francisco’s city hall, its golden dome shining in the sunlight.

Across the grass another point of light had just dissipated as well, revealing their foes. At the arrival of both armed and uniformed groups of quasi-military personnel, people who had stopped at the strange lights quickly realized that this was no longer someplace they wanted to be and quickly fled. Cars trying to pass through the area stopped and then sped up, trying to escape the scene, a few cars crashing into one another, causing the occupants to get out of them and flee on foot. 

But for the five rangers, this was where they were meant to be.

The Photon Ranger team lined up, Tommy taking the centermost, point position Kim and Kat on either side of him and Rocky and Adam beside the two women. The team watched Blood’s forces form up and regarded their opponents across the square. Master Pain and Mistress Misery seemed to back behind the line of Banes with them and confer. Tommy wondered if it was perhaps them realizing that rangers were here, when they’d expected them to be gone, and if that gave him a chance to perhaps end this without violence.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward a few feet, causing Misery and Pain to acknowledge him as they turned to regard him.

“I’m the Red Photon Ranger, and my team is here to protect the people of Earth. I’m giving you one chance to leave, and not come back,” Tommy stated fiercely, his right hand raised and his white gloved finger pointing at the fortification of Banes before Mistress Misery and Master Pain.

There was the briefest pause before he got his response; and immediate blast of laser fire from Pain’s arm blaster that barely missed him.

“Alright – I gave you fair warning. Team, let’s take it to them,” Tommy growled, reaching to his side and pulling the Photon sword hanging there and whipping it up and in front of him before the first barrage of laser fire greeted them.

Five quickly moving colored blurs deflected the stream of laser fire being sent their way as they cut through the grassy area to close the distance between them and their foes. Switching weapons, Kim, Kat and Rocky used their EMP hand guns to fire back. But by doing so they opened themselves up to more blaster fire from the ranks of Banes they had not hit, prompting them to break up and use the limited trees for cover.

Tommy and Adam pushed on, using their swords as they continued to advance on Misery and Pain’s front ranks. As they did so, they noted the two generals visibly moving back behind their foot soldiers, Misery wrapping her feathered cape around her in the lifting fog as they watched and waited.

The smell of blaster fire swirled through the remaining fog and Tommy began to worry that Pain and Misery would stay behind the ranks of Banes, allowing them to control the battle and take no personal injuries to aid them in the desire to leave Earth now. As Kim, Rocky and Kat unleashed another volley of laser fire, cutting down half a dozen Banes right before them, Master Pain began to stalk forward. The Banes instantly shifted, parting to allow Pain, now followed by Misery to wade into the fight themselves. As the two generals paced towards the rangers, Tommy realized with grim determination that he shouldn’t have worried. After all the years he’d fought bad guys as a ranger, the generals always ended up wanting to get their hands dirty.

-x-

In the command center, Jason worked along side Billy, reviewing energy levels and boosting the broadcast frequencies for the power source the ranger’s weapons ran on. Aisha and Trini focused on prepping and initializing the zords and the hangar bay for use if the team called for the zords. Zack and Tanya located and stabilized the view screen images, tapping into every satellite, security camera and internet video feed they could find to triangulate the scenes before them, allowing them to follow every player on the field – good or bad.

Before them, they would all glance up during their work to watch the team in the field. On the view screens, Master Pain and Mistress Misery had just stepped out from behind their protection and were moving to engage the rangers. At the same time Zack noted another contingent of Banes that had appeared out of nowhere, moving from the east to flank the five rangers who were about to be engaged with the two generals and the remnants of the main Bane force.

“Fuck! They’ve got more incoming,” Zack swore, pointing to the influx of Banes from the east.

“They’ll see it. They’re already splitting up to take on the new threats,” replied Jason, his voice tinged with both worry and confidence.

The team splintered, preparing for the two general’s advance. But they were surprised… Tommy and Kim ended up being separated from the others, suddenly surrounded by the Banes that had arrived from the east, cutting them off from the others. Master Pain had ended up homing in on the yellow ranger, and Adam and Rocky found themselves pinned between a squad of Banes and an advancing Mistress Misery.

Back in the command center, five support team members and the technological wizard that had gathered them all together watched in distress as their team mates engaged their foes in earnest.

-x-

Rocky danced to the side as Misery swiped at him, his sword moving to catch the claws trying to spear him, the weapons creating a clashing of metal and ringing sound. Adam was behind him a few feet, engaging three of the Banes. 

“Come on, show me what you got,” quipped Rocky as he sliced left and barely missed the Bane aiding Misery in her attack.

The Bane backed up and began firing at him while Misery rushed forward, slicing up and across. Rocky swiftly moved to block the blaster fire with his sword, but wasn’t able to get it into position fast enough to deflect the claws that raked his stomach in a single, slashing line.

He felt the pressure of the claws on his armor, and then recognized that it had sliced open, pain blossoming suddenly in his stomach. He grunted in agony and his left hand went down to the injury; he pulled away his white glove, which was now stained with red blood. Shock resonated through his head and adrenaline spiked his veins…the weapons Blood’s people had could breach their armor. The sudden knowledge spurred Rocky to move before she could cut him again, directly engaging the Bane with his sword, rushing forward and impaling the soldier with the weapon.

Adam had taken out two of the Banes with his own sword, his armor taking the brunt of the blaster fire and the eventual hand to hand had allowed him to flip and dispatch the third before another five Banes came rushing in to ambush him. He quickly switched to his gun and began firing, hoping to take them down before they got to him and Rocky. He had two dispatched before he had to backpedal, turning to let his team mate and friend know they had incoming.

“Time to move Rocko,” Adam said, turning and firing behind him. He hurried towards the stand of trees before the playground, hoping to get a breather and regroup with Rocky. He watched as his friend and fellow ranger made a break for it with a single slice of his sword before turning towards the playground. 

Misery leapt at the blue ranger before he could get away, slashing wildly and raking across his left calf. Rocky muffled a scream at the sudden pain. He fell forward in a roll and rushed towards Adam, his leg bleeding as he fought not to limp. Adam fired wildly at Misery, forcing her back and giving Rocky the chance to break away and join his position. He looked at his friend and noted the two wounds and realized that things were worse than he’d realized. 

Across the square, Kat and Pain had ended up toe to toe and sword to sword. The smaller yellow ranger held her photon sword tightly and faced off against the large bronze warrior and his broadsword. 

“Well, what do we have here?” Pain asked with a voice that sounded like a lifelong smoking Barry White. “A lone ranger?”

“I’m more than you can handle bone-head,” Kat barked out as she struck out like a snake with her sword, looking for speed and surprise to be her allies as she waited for one of the others to join her.

Pain blocked her first strike and her second, but the third swept up and cut through the shoulder piece of his armor, sending the metal flying. At the loss of the armor piece, Pain’s eyes glowed a fiery red and he redoubled his efforts, pressing forward and engaging the yellow armored ranger once again. With Pain’s sudden attack Kat frantically met him blow for blow, their swords sending up sparks as they clashed. They maneuvered around the grassy space, Kat only occasionally being on the offensive against her angered, larger armored foe.

Across the square, Tommy and Kim had ended up in a running gun battle with over a dozen Banes, driving them further away from the others. Kim and Tommy had fallen into a pattern; one would take up a defensive position, firing at the advancing soldiers and firing while the other retreated to the next defensible location and then cover the other as they then repeated the maneuver. Slowly the sixteen or so Banes were whittled down to six, then to two before they finally were able to finish them off. 

“Let’s help the others,” Tommy immediately stated, his gun in one hand and sword appearing in the other as Kim nodded, her pink helmet catching the sun as they hurriedly turned and raced to join the others on the other side of the square.

Adam and Rocky had climbed to the top of the playground’s jungle gym, using it as the high ground as Misery and her Banes took up positions around them, the two groups trading gunfire. They looked past their opponents to see Kat and Pain still fighting and far across the square Tommy and Kim running at breakneck speed to their aid. 

“Calvary’s coming,” Adam stated looking to Rocky as his friend nodded and winced again at the wounds that had kept either of them from going to Kat’s aid; Adam had not wanted to leave his wounded team mate as long as Kat was holding her own.

“About time,” replied Rocky with a tight voice, his left hand cradling his stomach as he fired his gun with his right.

Suddenly things took a turn for the worse as Kat’s sword went flying from her grip at a stunningly brutal cut by Pain’s own weapon, and she quickly scrambled after it. As she stumbled to grab up the weapon, her back to he opponent her adrenaline spiked as she realized that alone she was outmatched by the heavily weaponized monster that Blood had sent to enslave her planet. Breathing hard, Kat switched gears, jamming herself to her feet and wheeling around to face her attacker as she switched her sword to her left hand as she reached for her gun with her right, hoping perhaps the field ‘general’ would be as vulnerable to the EMP laser the weapons emitted as the Banes were.

Before she could even get off a single blast he was above her, and she looked upwards as he swung his heavy gun arm at her. With one crushing blow, Katherine’s helmet cratered, and she fell heavily to the ground at Master Pain’s feet.

-x-

Inside the command center, the room went deathly silent for a moment as they watched Master Pain ram his gun arm into the yellow ranger’s helmet and an incredible velocity.

“Oh my god…” whispered Tanya as she watched her friend fall, the helmet protecting her crunching with a sickening crack, the sound ringing in everyone’s ears.

“Katherine’s down!” called out Zack, running to the panel that Billy had set up to tie the rangers in suits to the medical bay’s monitors. What he saw there made him pale. Her vitals were simply… gone.

“We have to get them back in here!” yelled Trini, hurrying to join Aisha where she stood at the panel that held the controls for the transporter.

“But they can’t leave those people unprotected,” Aisha stated, looking at Trini stunned, knowing that things were going badly for her friends and the man who had become her boyfriend in the last six months but realizing that without the rangers out there people would die.

“Then we need to help them,” Jason said darkly, his eyes turning to Billy with a near accusatory look.

“We can’t… there’s nothing we can do,” Billy answered gravely, looking from the man whom he respected as a friend, leader and brother back to the scene playing out before them.

“Yes there is. We can take the zords out there,” Jason said suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at Jason, surprised. The idea that non-uniformed rangers go into the field…

“Jase, we all know you want to help, but… if they can’t stand up to them,” stated Zack, waving to the image of the fight raging behind him.

“They’re not prepared for five zords and all the weapons onboard. We know how to use them…” Jason countered, his need to do something driving him to find some kind of solution.

“If we take them into the city… into the downtown, we could be causing an even higher civilian body count,” Billy argued heatedly.

Jason paused at Billy’s words. If he and the others did take the zords, they would escalate the fight, and if Billy was right, they could prompt even more violent and devastating attacks from Blood immediately. Right now it was still hand to hand fighting in a contained location… and there were still four rangers out there…

“All right, but we have to do something,” Jason acknowledged as he heavily placed both his hands on the command console and leaned forward, desperately focusing on his friends still battling for their lives and the lives of everyone on the planet. 

“We have to have faith that our team mates out there are the rangers we know they are…” replied Billy quietly, looking from Jason’s profile to the others as they all realized how hard their job really was now… they had to sit and wait.

-x-

“No!” screamed Tommy from where he and Kim had seen Kat fall at Pain’s hands, the two continuing to run at Pain, firing wildly at the metal cased monster, forcing him to back off. 

With their arrival, Misery had turned to regard the new opponents causing her to turn her back on Rocky and Adam, who quickly took the opportunity to take out the Banes that had been pinning them down and going around behind the playground to meet up with the pink and red rangers.

“You okay Rocky?” Tommy asked, seeing the way the blue ranger was holding his bleeding stomach and limping.

“Better now you guys are here. We need to end this, and soon,” Rocky replied, looking to his friend and their leader.

“Then let’s do this,” responded Tommy, switching back to his sword as he, Kim and Adam took the lead, wading into the now regrouped Banes, Misery and Pain.

Tommy and Adam rushed Pain, the two of them forcing the bronze armored general to use both his sword and gun arms to fend off the flurry of sword strokes, kicks and punches being sent his way. The Banes attempted to intervene, and Rocky fired their way, picking off Banes as they tried to cut down the red and black rangers. 

Then Misery ghosted in, her feathered cape floating behind her and Kim quickly moved to interpose herself between Tommy and Adam and the clawed general. Behind her, Rocky took up a defensive position; while he was wounded, he was far from out, but he knew he couldn’t engage Pain or Misery in his current condition. But he could watch their backs…

“Okay bitch, you want to play, let’s play,” Kim growled as she pointed her sword at the pale woman before her. 

“Die,” replied Misery, with a venomous tone as she lunged at the pink ranger.

Kim backpedaled and struck the claws coming her way with her sword. She twisted and slashed backwards and she felt the weapon slice through the cape of feathers, cutting the cloth in half and leaving Blood’s general in a jagged piece of cloth. Abruptly Misery spun around and four razor sharp claws lashed out, spearing Kim’s left shoulder and arm, the tips of the silver metal peeking out on the other side of her armor. Kim let out a scream at the sudden pain as she swiped at the dark clad witch before her, prompting the crow-like claws to retract from the pink ranger’s body as the general backed up to avoid the sword blade.

“Kimberly!” Tommy yelled at the sound of Kim’s voice, the pain evident in it cutting into his soul.

With a nod from Adam, Tommy rushed to the pink ranger’s side, his photon sword in hand. He swiftly pushed Kim behind him as he faced down the dark clad minion for Blood. Without hesitation, he twisted the weapon in his hand and slashed right to left, taking Mistress Misery by surprise and cutting her open across her waist.

She screamed, her unclawed hand coming to cover the bloody gash. Astonished and wounded, she turned swiftly, her ruined cape of ebony feathers whipping behind her as she ran for the cover and protection of the remaining Banes across the courtyard.

Behind Tommy, Kim had used his arrival to back up against a tree where Rocky had taken up his defensive position, the blue ranger now by her side and looking around for another attack. Kim held her right hand tightly to her left shoulder, her gun holstered as her left arm hung like dead weight at her side. As soon as she saw Misery retreat she allowed herself to sigh and close her eyes as the pain caught up with her.

“Kim?” Tommy asked as he hurried to her side.

“I’m hanging in. Help Adam,” she gritted out, her head turning to the black ranger as he continued to battle Pain. “Rocky and I will keep the Banes back.”

Nodding, he hurried to join the black ranger who was still engaged with Master Pain; the few remaining Banes having retreated to defend Misery. Adam’s skill with a blade as well as his other martial arts skills and ranger powers were keeping the fight a stalemate.

“I’m gonna send you back where you came from,” Tommy announced defiantly as he joined Adam, the two uninjured rangers brandishing their swords menacingly. 

No verbal reply came from the bronze armored warrior. Instead, the Banes began firing from their position with Misery, sending Tommy and Adam into defensive mode, and they broke from their stances to take refuge behind a modern art statue on the end of the square.

“Well boss?” asked Adam as he switched back to his gun, holding it across his body and at the ready.

“Let’s kick their asses back to their ship,” declared Tommy as he pulled his own gun out and looked around the corner of the concrete base to see Kim and Rocky raise their own guns and nod in understanding.

-x-

Inside the command center, Billy and the others had been watching and nervously waiting. Jason was still itching to break every rule known to rangers and take at least one of the zords out there to help the others, but Billy was right that the space was too compact. But if they left…

“Guys…” started Tanya suddenly, her voice rising in pitch. “They’re rallying!”

Everyone refocused on the scene in the smoking and pock marked civic center square. Tommy and Adam were in one spot, Kim and Rocky in another, all in a defensive position. Suddenly all four moved at a silent command and began firing with their photon EMP guns at anything in their path as they pushed forward, driving Pain back to where Misery huddled wounded behind the remaining line of Banes.

Banes fell like dominoes and Pain desperately fired back, even as his armor dented and chipped as shots pounded into him. He finally made it behind the dwindling Bane soldiers, seeing for the first time Misery cradling her wounded body. He glanced back at the advancing rangers and made a decision. Taking hold of Misery’s shoulders, he shimmered and suddenly they were gone. Seconds later the remaining invading force of Blood’s troops began to disappear until the square was empty of antagonists, only the rangers and the bodies of Banes filling the space. 

“They ran!” yelled Zack, turning to the others with a sudden realization that they’d beaten back the attack.

“Get them back now!” Jason exclaimed, knowing that two rangers were coming back injured… and a third…much worse than that.

At Jason’s words, Aisha hurriedly pressed the sequence for the control panel for the transporter and hit the switch to start the process to retrieve their team mates…


	10. Fallen Soldiers

In moments, colored lights filled the transmission pad and five rangers reappeared once again inside the command center. 

“Oh god,” Billy said quietly in a broken voice as he stood frozen at the console, watching the four of the five support team members quickly going to the aid of the uniformed team, two of whom seemed to be barely standing, and of course, one of them who wasn’t alive to hear him any longer.

Tanya instead headed to the medical bay to set up spaces for the wounded and… dead, Billy finally following her, spurred on by her actions. The two of them cleared the three beds they had in preparation for the three rangers needing them. The rangers had never been hit like this before, and the morale of every member of both parts of the team was in varying states of denial and disbelief. 

The rest of the team moved to assist the uniformed team; Jason and Zack quickly making their way to where Kat’s body lay on the transport pad, the two of them carefully lifting and moving her towards the medical bay. Tommy moved swiftly to clutch Kim against his side, her left shoulder and arm having bled through her armor, drenching it the same color as Tommy’s. With his once again girlfriend in his grasp, Tommy turned the two of them towards where Billy and Tanya were setting up triage space. 

At the far end of the transport pad Rocky was barely standing, his arm wrapped around his stomach where the gaping slash oozed blood over his blue uniform, turning sections of his armor purple; his right leg was doing its best to keep him upright as the left tried to buckle under his weight again. Adam hurried to his friend’s side as he threw one of Rocky’s arms over his shoulder, Aisha coming to check on her boyfriend and team mate. Trini motioned the three to follow her and Adam carefully aided Rocky in slowly moving away from the transmission pad and through the living space of the warehouse to where the medical area was. 

“If we go out there again without some significant upgrades, no one is coming back alive,” Tommy told Billy under his breath, his words tinged with harshness as he helped Kim lay on the cot Billy had directed them to.

“I had no idea about his firepower,” Billy replied brokenly, his eyes burning with unshed tears at the sight of so much blood and death.

“We can’t even go back out anyway until we fix the armor and…” Jason interjected from beside them and then trailed off as he turned to watch Zack remove Kat’s yellow helmet, letting her golden locks spill out beside her pale face; a red mess of her left temple showed the caved in part of her skull that had felled her.

“Table this for the moment guys,” Kim said with a hiss as she tried to remove her helmet with one hand, prompting Tommy to help her before taking off his own. “We need to deal with patching Rocky and me up first.”

Billy and Tommy looked to one another and shared an unspoken moment that recognized Kim’s inherent logic regarding the situation. Tommy shot a glance over to Jason who nodded in understanding. They had three members of the team that needed attending to, and when they’d finished doing that then they could deal with the logistics of sorting out the situation of sending the team back into the field.

On the other end of the medical bay, Adam had handed Rocky over to Aisha and Trini’s care and they had helped him lay down on the last of the empty beds. Adam loomed behind, his helmet now cradled under his arm as he stood watching, the worry for his friend obvious on his face and in his posture. 

“How are you doing Rocky?” asked Aisha, her hands having helped unbuckle and remove his helmet so she could see his face as Trini prepped the scanners to evaluate his injuries.

“Been better ‘sha,” he replied with a small cocky grin which was quickly replaced by a grimace when Trini tried to pull on the fabric of his uniform to expose his stomach more.

“We need to get the uniform off to get you patched up,” Trini stated simply, the armor of their uniforms making it nearly impossible for Trini to budge the material.

“You just want a peek at what Aisha’s getting,” he remarked with a wink, leading to Trini rolling her eyes and Aisha poking his chest with a finger.

“Not a problem Trini. I’ll get Adam to help strip him down ‘cause he’d not getting anything from me until he learns to behave.”

Rocky pouted and then saw Aisha’s small, nervous smile and realized her threat really had no weight. Still, he did need help getting out of the uniform. Moving away from the bed, Trini pulled the small partition that separated the beds so Rocky and Adam could fight with the blue ranger uniform. 

On the bed in the center of the medical bay, Tanya had removed Kat’s uniform and set it aside before she covered her body with a sheet. There were moments that she’d fought back tears, tending to her fallen friend who had been such a comfort to her when she’d first joined the team all those years ago. In all the times they’d fought together she never thought that she’d ever be in this situation. Just as she thought she might fall apart she felt Jason’s hands fall on her shoulders and she turned and fell into his chest, small sobs wracking her frame as she let the former red and gold ranger comfort her.

Tommy had helped Kim peel the sleeve and upper part of her uniform away to expose the wounds so Billy could evaluate the four neat punctures through Kim’s shoulder and arm. Now Billy was scanning her arm with something that looked like a laptop sized portable x-ray, looking for broken bones. 

“You hanging in there Beautiful?” Tommy asked softly, his hand never leaving Kim’s as Billy started using some gadget that he was directing towards the first of her four injuries.

“Besides being ventilated?” she replied before gasping and tightening her grip on Tommy’s hand as the hand held gadget Billy was using pressed into the hole in her shoulder; seemingly frying and freezing the wound at the same time, creating a glossy flesh seal over the wound.

“Kim?” Tommy anxiously questioned before turning to Billy with a venomous tone. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Cauterizing the wounds. We don’t really have a lot of surgical options so… we need to close these holes up so she can heal,” replied Billy just as a string of swear words came from where Rocky was being tended to. “As long as neither of them have anything where a vital organ was pierced or a bleeding artery, this will allow them both to get better… in time.”

Tommy took a deep breath and then nodded in understanding, painfully watching as Kim fought to not wince or cry out as Billy administered the same treatment to the other three holes in her upper arm. At the other end of the space he knew Rocky was undergoing the same thing as Kim, and that Aisha was by his side.

“Rocky, stay still,” Aisha pleaded with her boyfriend, knowing that he needed to not move around so Trini could help fix him up.

“It hurts Aisha,” complained Rocky painfully as Trini used her own sealing tool to close up the gash across his stomach having already addressed his leg.

“Better you hurt and be alive…” began Adam before trailing off, trying to avoid speaking about the elephant in the room that they all knew they would have to deal with.

Once Kim and Rocky had their wounds sealed and then wrapped with bandages, they were helped into some convenient scrubs as their uniforms were left behind in the medical bay, the material a bloody mess. The two wounded rangers allowed themselves to be guided into the living room to sit on the couches; Tommy keeping Kim close to him and Aisha sitting on the arm of the couch next to Rocky, her hands on his shoulders. Billy moved to stand in the center of the living space, his eyes looking around at the faces of his friends whom he’d pulled into this life once again, and his thoughts drifted to the young woman who would never do anything again because of his actions. 

“Now what?” asked Zack from where he sat in one of the single chairs, looking from Tommy to Billy and then to Jason.

“We have to make some hard decisions,” said Tommy somberly, one of his hands tightly wrapped around one of Kim’s.

“What about Kat?” Tanya questioned slightly teary before Trini moved to wrap an arm around her team mate where they sat on another couch.

“We need to tell Damon, her parents that she…” Adam began, his eyes sliding towards his best friend, who he could have lost today as well.

“What do you want to say? We can’t tell them she was a power ranger and killed in battle,” Billy stated rationally.

“Maybe another story… a car accident?” suggested Kim, her face frowning at having to suggest such a lie.

“I guess… with the head injury…” Jason remarked, knowing that it would be a decent enough cover story.

“We can work on that…” replied Billy simply. “We need a car and a place to stage the accident…”

“What about Blood?” questioned Rocky, his voice rough with anger, “he’s still out there.”

“Rocky, you and Kim can’t go out there anytime soon,” Aisha remarked, her hand brushing against his cheek. “You both were badly injured. It will take time for you to heal.”

“So? Okay, Rocky and I can’t go back out there,” argued Kim, “but when Blood sends his people back, someone has to be out there in those uniforms…”

“We know, but…” Tommy began, looking from Kim to the space past them all where Kat lay covered with a sheet. Everyone knew they’d have to replace Kat, but the fact that neither Kim nor Rocky would be fit for duty meant they needed three replacements…

“Who is going to take the slots?” questioned Zack, and all eyes turned to Tommy, making him pale slightly at the thought of having to make a decision that would put more members of the team, more friends in harms way.

Before he could speak, Kimberly squeezed his hand, causing him to turn to her.

“I vote for Tanya taking my spot,” said Kim simply. “She already knows my zord…”

There was a brief silence as everyone recognized how Kim was keeping Tommy from having to make the decision, thereby keeping him from having to shoulder any guilt in selecting replacements.

“Kimberly… thank you,” Tanya replied, giving the other woman a grateful smile.

“What about you Rocko?” Adam asked, looking to his friend, sadness written in his eyes that they would no longer be together in the field.

“Jase… you willing to take blue?” asked Rocky, selecting the first red ranger to take his place like he had done for Jason years ago.

“That’s fine with me. I gotta try and keep up with the color changing leader over here,” Jason joked, poking his thumb at Tommy who still held a record three colors, causing more than a few of the team to laugh.

Kim smiled at Jason’s accepting of the blue ranger role, knowing that if Jason was out there, she could breathe a little easier about Tommy having someone watching his back.

“And the yellow ranger mantle?” asked Billy carefully, knowing that most of them had yet to even begin to deal with Katherine’s death.

Aisha looked to Trini, and then to Rocky. She was tempted to ask to take Kat’s place so she could go out there and kick Mistress Misery’s ass for what she’d done to him, but she didn’t want Rocky to be concerned for her safety like she had been for his.

“I defer to the first yellow ranger,” she said, her throat tightening a bit at the end, and Trini inclined her head in acceptance.

“Okay, so the replacements are picked… now we have to address the situation with the armor…” Tommy commented, thought of Kim’s bloody uniform swimming through his mind.

“And we need better weapons,” Jason added. 

“What about modifying the photon sword to give us a shield?” asked Adam thoughtfully.

Billy paused and looked at Adam with a pole axed expression. Why he hadn’t thought of that was just… 

“I can do that. We just need to add a few circuits and a switch. I didn’t think…” he began, nearly stammering over his words as he thought of how a shield could have helped Kim and Rocky, maybe even saved Katherine’s life… he looked down and away from everyone, trying to hide his emotions.

“Don’t,” Kimberly said suddenly, recognizing the guilt on her friend’s face.

“Billy, it is not your fault,” said Trini softly as she moved to rest a hand on Billy’s shoulder, her eyes trying to catch his as she fought to make sure he understood no one blamed him.

Slowly he raised his eyes to meet Trini’s and gave her a wane smile. He reached up and captured her hand with his and squeezed it gently in a gesture of appreciation.

“What about the armor. Sure Billy can fix it but how are we supposed to not have the same thing happen as today?” asked Zack, worried now about his friends that were replacing those members of the team that had been injured.

“You know, it was just Pain and Misery’s weapons that caused the damage…” Rocky related with some sudden realization, his hand distractedly going to his stomach as the memory of her claws cutting through the uniform and his flesh filled his mind.

“Yeah, I had to have taken ten blaster hits, but all I have are bruises,” remarked Tommy, looking to Adam for confirmation and getting it in the form of a nod from the current black ranger.

“So if the blaster fire didn’t get past the armor, maybe the metal Misery’s claws and Pain’s gun and sword are made out of makes them fatal?” suggested Tanya with some optimism.

“It could be… Misery’s claws cut right through Kim and Rocky’s armor,” added Jason.

“If that’s the case, maybe we can figure out what the stuff is made off… reinforce the armor against it?” Kimberly suggested hopefully, glancing from Tommy to Billy, who seemed to be seriously considering how he could do that.

“But how long do we have? I mean sure, Misery and Pain hightailed it when we had her wounded and all, but Blood can’t be planning on waiting long before moving again,” interjected Aisha, her voice tinged with worry.

“Maybe, but if she’s injured they may heal her first…” thought Trini aloud, giving Billy a supportive smile as he continued to try and work out in his head what he could do to fix and reinforce the armor of the uniforms.

“But if they have better healing equipment than Billy’s got…” Tommy started before taking a deep breath as he squared his shoulders and glanced around the room before he voiced his next comment with the leader’s voice he instinctively used in moments like this, “we have to find a way to get a team out sooner than later, and with all the modifications with weapons and armor we need to survive our next encounter with them.”

Before anyone could say anything, there was a loud whooping sound that didn’t cause the room to turn red like the alarm had before.

“The monitors are picking up a signal from space,” Billy stated in wonder before bolting to the command console in the other room. 

Zack, Trini, Adam, Tanya and Jason all hurried to join him, looking to see what was going on. The two couples with their injured members sat on the couch waiting to see what the issue was. Billy finally finished his analysis and hissed through his teeth before bellowing, “Turn on the television!”

Tommy reached out and found the remote, clicking it on. Instead of whatever programming might have been on for a weekday afternoon, instead the screen was filled with black and white ‘snow’. Then as everyone moved to see what Billy had directed Tommy to turn on the television for, the screen went black before an awful visage appeared on the screen that they all now knew every well.

“Blood,” breathed Tommy, his voice filled with surprise and revulsion.

The image of Blood in his dark armor, cape and sword stood before a clear view screen or window in what was decidedly an alien craft. Through the window Earth could be seen, far below the ship.

“I am Emperor Blood, conqueror of words,” he said simply, his tone like crushed gravel under the wheels of a car, “and your planet will be mine very soon. My generals have encountered… resistance since our arrival. Do not hope that this resistance will save you… it will be crushed, like every other opposition that has faced me. You have 48 hours to surrender to me before I turn your cities to ash.”

Then the screen went black again, then to snow and then back to programming Blood had disrupted before a news broadcast began to interrupt the show that had been on to begin the analysis of Blood’s broadcast. It was obvious that every station everywhere had been disrupted by Blood’s announcement. Everyone in the living area of the warehouse looked around at one another in shock and anger.

“Even if the Earth did surrender, he’ll kill everyone or enslave them anyway,” complained Jason, voicing his opinion quickly as he stalked towards the television and turned it off with a push of a button.

“The world governments don’t know that,” insisted Trini with a frown.

“But we do,” remarked Adam, moving to where Tommy sat, his hand firmly gripping Kim’s hand.

“And we’re the resistance he’s referring to,” Tanya stated, knowing that their presence while the only thing standing between Blood and Earth’s destruction could be seen by others as the one group that could cause more people to die.

“Still, he’s given Earth a 48 hour timeline… that gives us a chance…” Tommy announced, causing some of the team to look at him curiously and his girlfriend to turn in her seat, pulling away from him and oblivious to her injuries to stare at him in disbelief.

“To do what?” asked Kim, suddenly fuming, “To have you guys go out and get killed?”

“We can fix the armor Kim,” Billy stated simply, recognizing her outburst for what it was… fear at losing Tommy or any of the others like they had lost Kat.

“But how are you going to keep what happened to me and Rocky… to Kat from happening again?” she asked as Tommy reached for her, trying to get her to look him in the eyes so he could reason with her.

“Kim, we’ll be okay,” he said soothingly, catching both her hands with his as he gazed into her eyes with all the sincerity he felt under his own concerns. “We have 48 hours to find a way to beat Blood. We can do it if we believe we can…”

“I’ll figure it out Kim. I promise,” Billy said seriously, adding to Tommy’s impassioned claims.

With Tommy and Billy’s assurances, Kimberly nodded and let herself lean into Tommy as the group prepared for the next steps in their fight against Blood. They had 48 hours to pull a miracle out of their collective hat. Of course, they were rangers… if anyone could make it happen, it was them.


	11. Falling Back

Blood’s 48 hour surrender demand weighed heavily on everyone casting a pall around the warehouse, and it wasn’t simply everyone not dealing with Kat’s passing. They were in deeper than they ever had been before and there wasn’t a Zordon or Dimetria or Ninjor to fall back on. It was simply their wits, their skills and if they were lucky, a miracle from somewhere that could get them back in the game.

All of which meant they had no time to really spare. 48 hours would be gone too soon, and there was so much to be done in that small space of time.

“We need to split up… take on what we can to get ready,” announced Tommy, looking to Billy and then Jason as they nodded back, recognizing the need to get moving.

“I’ll start analyzing the armor… figure out what needs to be done to fix it. Zack, Tanya, can you help me gather the yellow, pink and blue uniforms for repair?” Billy asked, seeing the new pink ranger and former black agree and head to the medical bay.

“While you guys do that, Trini and I will make a plan on what to do about… Kat…” Jason said simply looking to the new yellow ranger for confirmation as the rest of the team averted their eyes of looked uncomfortable at the subject.

“And Kim and Rocky are going to get some rest,” Aisha stated, looking at her boyfriend and best friend where they sat on the couches, the pain meds they’d both been given for their injuries having finally kicked in fully and both were nearly out of it.

At the sound of his name, Rocky jerked awake fully and interjected, “no, we can help,” before his eyes threatened to drift shut of their own volition once again.

“Rocko, you can barely stand, you and Kimberly should rest,” remarked Adam, his worry for his friend evident in his voice.

Beside Tommy, Kim still has his arm wrapped around her and had fallen into a restless half-sleep. Between her injuries and the meds and Tommy’s nearness, she’d let herself succumb to unconsciousness. It was obvious to everyone that she and Rocky weren’t up to any more today and after they’d been seen to, the others could focus on the other tasks at hand.

“Aisha, Adam, get Rocky settled, I’ll put Kim to bed. Everyone still in uniform can power down and then we’ll meet back here and coordinate on what we can do to be prepared for our next encounter with Blood,” Tommy declared. 

Adam and Aisha moved to hoist Rocky up from the couch and carefully guided an arm over each of their shoulders, directing him towards Rocky’s downstairs bedroom as Tommy eased off the couch and moved to pick up Kim’s sleeping form in his arms and walk her up the stairs to his room. 

-x-

After watching the others move to escort Kim and Rocky to their rooms, Trini and Jason turned back to look at one another, then to the sheet covered body of their friend in the medical bay before they sat down heavily in the living area to discuss the plan to move Kat’s body out of the warehouse. 

“We can use my car for the accident, as it would make sense that Kat would have borrowed it while visiting me,” Trini suggested, looking at the sorrowful dark eyes of her friend.

“You sure?” Jason asked, concerned about the bind that might put Trini in if there were any questions.

“It would probably be better for the story. If we rented a car or stole one, that would bring up more questions that we can’t control.”

He sighed and ran a hand behind his neck before he shifted it left then right to pop the tense muscles there.

“Where do we do this?” he finally questioned, knowing they needed to set the ‘scene’.

“There’s a cove… a small watery area near the baseball park. It’s right on the bay and…”

“Someone will see the car and report it?”

“Yeah… God, I hate this,” Trini cried, her eyes tearing as she looked to Jason and he quickly reached over and caught her hand, holding it tightly.

“So do I, but we don’t have a choice… How else do we explain Kat’s death?”

“I know… but I just wish we could tell her family and Damon the truth.”

“Maybe one day, but for right now we need to think about giving Kat some kind of peace,” Jason stated, and Trini gave him a grave smile in understanding.

“So we use the Photon blasters to damage the car because they won’t leave any trace evidence, slide her in, and then set it over the embankment,” explained Trini, and Jason nodded in agreement.

“We’ll do it tonight. About 4am?” 

“It will be after the bars close and before the morning papers go out,” she remarked, and then gave him a tight smile, “we should be okay.” 

“Then you will follow up with a call the next morning to the police to declare Kat and the car missing…”

Trini nodded.

Jason swallowed hard. It was all arranged. Now they just had to move the car and Kat to the spot and do the deed. Of everything that he’d ever been through as a ranger, this was most likely the most painful, borderline vile thing he’d ever done. And he hoped to God that this would be the last time he’d ever have to do anything like it.

-x-

Aisha and Adam navigated their semi-conscious burden the twenty or so feet to the room Rocky’s ended up with when they’d selected rooms, even though he’d been upstairs in Aisha’s room previously. It had been lucky he’d chosen it or they’d have had to take over Adam’s room next door or carry his heavy frame up the stairs.

Once in the room, Adam and Aisha steered Rocky to the bed. Aisha slipped out from under Rocky’s arm to pull the covers away, leaving Adam balancing all of Rocky’s weight until he could ease his friend down. When Rocky hit the mattress, his eyes popped open and he helped Aisha get his feet on the bed and under the sheets.

“You doing okay?” Adam asked as Aisha tucked Rocky into the bed.

“The sealant Billy used sort of itches…” he said groggily his hand rubbing slowly at his stomach under the covers.

“But at least you aren’t bleeding all over the place,” Aisha replied, her voice tinged with anger as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll be okay,” he said simply, his eyes struggling to stay open, “You two are looking out for me.”

“That didn’t keep Misery from slicing and dicing you,” stated Adam somberly.

“But I’ll keep an eye on you while Adam goes back out there with the rest of the team,” Aisha said, her tone soft, belying the anger in her eyes.

Adam nodded at that and reached down to grasp Rocky’s hand briefly before pulling away to lay a hand on Aisha’s shoulder before turning to the door to power out of his uniform and join the others. Aisha watched him leave and then turned her full attention back to Rocky. All the fear she’d felt at seeing him in the field being injured not once but twice was finally subsiding, but the anger at Misery’s actions against him was still festering beneath the surface. She ran a hand across his forehead lightly before leaning down to kiss his lips. 

As she pulled back to look at him, Rocky blinked several times, trying to clear the cobwebs the pain meds were spinning in his head. He knew she was angry at Misery; what she’d done to him, but she’d turned down the yellow ranger mantle and any chance to get her own licks in. Why would she…

“Did you decide not to go out there because of me?” he asked her, his eyes wide as sudden clarity filled his mind.

Aisha paused, not sure she wanted to answer, but felt she owed him the truth. She ran her hand along his jaw and then let it rest on his chest, just above his heart.

“Yes. I didn’t want you to feel like I did today… unable to help and afraid about my boyfriend’s safety.”

“But you’re leaving Adam on his own out there…”

“Tanya’s going in Kim’s place… she’ll keep tabs on him. They were… something once,” she reminded him, and Rocky nodded briefly. “For now, get some sleep. I’ll be here if you need me.”

He slowly slid his hand from under the covers to capture hers where it laid against his chest and pulled it to his lips, kissing the palm. With a small yawn he released her hand and let his eyes slip closed once again, his breathing falling into sleep as Aisha watched him, her hand that he’d kissed pressed against her chest.

-x-

Without a misstep, Tommy carried Kim to his room, not feeling comfortable taking her to her own without her awake to give him permission. Still, his room right next door anyway but he knew he’d feel better with her in his room, where he could stay with her. Pushing the door open he moved to kick it closed again and headed to the bed, bending to lay her down. As her body settled onto the mattress Tommy began to pull away, startling her awake as she swiftly reached up to grip his shirt tightly.

“Don’t leave,” she said quietly, her eyes opening to pin on Tommy’s face.

“Okay,” he replied simply, powering down from his uniform and moving to lie beside her on the bed as she rolled over to look at him.

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

Tommy looked at her like she was crazy, and as she tilted her head slightly on the pillow to regard his expression of shock he snaked his hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing the corner of her mouth as he stared at her, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Of course I took care of you,” he murmured his voice soft but tinged with determination. “I just got you back and I could have lost you out there… I was so scared once I realized they could hurt us… kill us. If you had ended up alone like Kat…”

“Tommy, I didn’t… it was a fluke… we didn’t know, and now that we do…”

He dropped his hand from her face as he closed his eyes at the rush of emotions coursing through him. He loved this woman before him, and he’d loved Kat in a way once, and now one was dead and the other injured. And he’d been out there, the leader when that had happened. He hated that he was actually relieved that it was Kat down in the medical bay rather than Kim, no matter how horrible a person it made him. He could live with Kat’s death on his hands… but Kim’s…

“You didn’t do anything wrong. This is not your fault,” she said suddenly, recognizing the guilt that was furrowing his brow.

Opening his eyes, he saw the fierce determination and love blazing in Kim’s gaze and gave her a tentative smile. He knew it was true… none of them had had any clue what was going to happen out there. He couldn’t let what ifs become albatrosses of guilt. Not now.

He leaned forward to close the distance between them and kissed her softly, reverently. He wanted to make sure she knew how much he appreciated her – her presence and her words; how much he needed her there with him. When he pulled back, he saw her glance past him and recognized that the room they were in was not the one she slept in. 

“This isn’t my room,” she suddenly remarked, noting the different wallpaper and location of the bathroom that was on his side of the room rather than hers.

“Sorry. I didn’t want to presume I could just waltz into your space without your okay… so I brought you to my room. And I… I wanted to stay with you for a bit after I settled you in, till I was sure…” he answered, the fear he’d felt at losing her having only been eased by Billy’s first aid but not extinguished fully.

“I’m going to be okay Tommy.”

“I know. I just… I don’t want to let you out of my sight…”

She sighed a little and smiled wistfully. The protective white knight had reappeared in full force. Yet she knew that if things were revered she’d be reluctant to leave his side as well. Yet no matter how much they wanted to just curl up in his bed and shut everything else out, the reality was that they didn’t have that luxury. They were rangers… or at least Tommy was.

“I understand… I do. You have to remember though I’ll be here, safe at the base, getting well. If anything it’s me that’s scared of losing you. I hate the fact that when you go out there to face Blood next I won’t be at your side,” she said and he nodded and looked away, prompting her to reach out and turn his face back to her. “Look, I’m not going to say I’m not worried for you, but at least I know that Jason will be with you out there. He’s not me, but hey… Jason’s not that bad a backup.”

Tommy couldn’t help but let out a small bark of laughter at that and reached to gather her closer to him, curling her into his embrace. She was right – he’d be the one going back out there, not her. And having Jase with him did make him feel more confident about it. Still, part of him would be staying behind with her, thinking of her…

But for now, he’d ignore his duties and the pull drawing him downstairs to strategize for just a little while so he could hold her until she fell asleep again, content in the knowledge that she was alive and safe... and that she loved him. 

-x-

After what seemed like mere moments but was closer to half an hour, Tommy extricated himself from a sleeping Kimberly and headed down the stairs. Once he closed the door to his room he was greeted by the smell of grilling chicken, his stomach growling at the scent as it made him aware of how hungry he was. Tanya and Zack had left Billy to analyze and repair the suits and had realized the team had needed to eat, so they’d started the meal.

“How’s Kim?” asked Jason as he moved to meet his friend at the bottom of the stairs.

“Asleep. I expect she and Rocky will be out for a while. I don’t know how they stayed awake as long as they did, considering Billy probably gave them some good drugs.”

“Rocky stayed awake for a bit longer, but I think he’ll be out for the day. Even with the smell of food,” Aisha offered, flashing a knowing smile to Jason and Tommy as they both smothered laughter knowing Rocky’s tendency to always be hungry and ravenously eat more than his fare share of whatever meal had been prepared.

“So, we have to make some plans. Any news on the armor repairs?” Adam asked as everyone started to gravitate to the kitchen, waiting for Tanya and Zack to serve up lunch.

“I’m almost done with the repairs to the uniforms… though the yellow ranger helmet will take a bit longer. And the shields are done. I just needed to build a separate transmitter that disperses the frequency of the photon energy into an energy shield,” Billy said, his eyes tired and his face drawn. Trini moved to his side and rested an arm across his back.

“I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we know you’re doing the best you can Billy,” she said softly, causing him to turn to look at her and smile wanly, but it was obvious he appreciated the support.

“Do we think the shields will stand up to Misery’s claws and Pain’s weapons?” questioned Zack as he carried a plate of chicken to the table, followed by Tanya with a huge green salad.

“The swords did,” Tommy remarked bluntly.

“But we need the armor resistant to their metal… we can’t guarantee the swords and shields will do the trick every time,” Aisha insisted, thinking on Kat and Kim and Rocky.

“I need to do more analysis,” Billy stated, knowing that the uniforms needed to be able to take the blows from the special weapons Blood’s generals wielded. “When I rebuild the yellow ranger helmet I’ll see if I can find anything I can use in the structural analysis.”

“And we need a new game plan,” remarked Jason tersely.

“No one on their own,” Tanya said softly, prompting another round of anguish to spike through the team at Kat’s loss.

“Look, we have a little less than 48 hours now. We’ll do everything we can to be prepared, but we also need food and sleep. Let’s eat and table the discussion for now,” Tommy pleaded, needing for just a little while to sit companionably with his friends, his team mates and not think about their dead and wounded or the fate of the planet.

With that, everyone gave varying levels of agreement to their much needed break, and silently passed around the food and ate; knowing the brief pause was just simply a breather in a much bigger fight.

-x-

After lunch, Tommy and some of the others moved to sit in the living area to discuss their next battle strategy plan. Needing some kind of normalcy, Aisha flipped on the TV, hoping for some light comedy to break the tension. Instead the news was playing, announcing that the United Nations had called an emergency session. The newscaster’s announcement that the Security Council was discussing what to do about Blood’s threat and the kind of international response they could give, including if they would authorize a nuclear response brought everyone up short.

They’d forgotten that it wasn’t just them versus Blood, but the world nations as well.

“God, you don’t think…” Adam started to say, thinking about the chaos a nuclear war could be on top of Blood’s forces.

“They’ve never been in this situation,” remarked Trini, coming in with Billy from the command center at the sound of the news.

“Because the Power Rangers were here to protect them,” Aisha interjected.

“They still are!” Tanya insisted.

“We should see if we can reason with them,” Billy suggested, his eyes widening as his mind began to race.

“How do you propose we do that?” Jason asked, staring at Billy’s awestruck expression.

“Tommy could teleport there and speak to them,” replied Billy, making everyone look at him in awe.

“They… the UN wouldn’t let me do that…” Tommy dismissed, not believing Billy’s suggestion.

“They’d speak to the Red Ranger, leader of the Photon Rangers, wouldn’t they?” replied the former blue ranger, making Tommy and the others pause.

As rangers, they’ve all been in the public eye before, and as leaders, Tommy and Jason more so. But none of them have ever been called to formally represent the team before the world stage. But then, they’ve never been the world’s last hope against a brutal and overpowering force like Blood’s.

“But if Tommy goes, what about his identity, and ours…” Adam asks, worried now that Tommy’s appearance at the Security Council might force them to have to reveal themselves beyond their uniformed roles.

“If they force his hand, he can always just leave,” Jason interjected, trying to not even think about Tommy being held and stripped of his helmet, revealing his face to everyone.

“Still, if you going there and convincing them to give us time could help,” Aisha offered, looking at Tommy and making him ponder seriously the idea.

Tommy stood there, his eyes roaming across the faces of his friends and team mates, seeing the expectation and concern written there. His reluctance to do this is obvious to them all and for more reasons than they could guess, but the chance he could divert a nuclear war against Blood that more than likely would fail is the final key factor in convincing him that he should do this.

“Okay… I guess I need to get suited up,” he finally said, his hand drifting to his upper left chest.

“Red Photon Ranger!”

Moments later his uniform and helmet in place, Tommy trudged towards the teleporter pad, expecting Billy to send him immediately. Instead he found the former blue ranger rushing to stop him.

“Wait, before you go, you need to take this,” Billy said and pressed a small box into his gloved hand. 

“What is it?”

“A portable projector with video of Blood’s previous activities; the same video I showed everyone when you all first got here. Just point it towards a blank wall and press the on button…” he explained, and sensing the question in Tommy’s mind followed up with, “they need to see what they’re up against.”

Tommy nodded and continued on to the transporter. Standing on one of the disks, he gave Billy a nod and waited for the surge of light particles that would transport him across the country to speak to the leaders of the free world.

“We’ll monitor you from here. As soon as you’re done we’ll bring you back.” 

With that, Billy initiated the sequence and in moments Tommy was gone. Billy set the main screen to monitor Tommy’s heart rate and voice print, allowing them to hear him and tell what was going on. And of course, from the other room, they’d be able to hear the news… once he arrived Billy was certain that the news media would report it.

In New York City, Tommy transported into what seemed to be the center of the room for the United Nations Security Council, half circles of world leaders sitting at their spots on either side of him instantly standing or shouting at his appearance. Several armed guards begin towards him and he raised his left hand in a pleading gesture to have them back up even as his right slid to rest on the butt of his sword.

“I’m sorry for my arrival unannounced, but I need to speak with you all,” he began, the members of the Security Council mesmerized by the human voice coming from the uniformed form before them.

Moments later the news media began announcing the situation – that an unknown person or being had beamed into the UN Security Council and seemed intent on addressing them. Some of the rangers gravitated to the living area to see what the coverage was saying while Billy stayed glued to his monitoring of Tommy’s status.

“Many of you may somewhat recognize the uniform, but I’m the Red Photon Power Ranger,” Tommy introduces himself. “The Power Rangers have been here on Earth for many years in different incarnations. The current team has returned to protect Earth from the threat of Emperor Blood. My team of rangers have already fought his advance team in the United States and are prepared to do so wherever he tries to send his forces. The world is not unprotected, we will defend it and defeat Blood.”

Several voices all start speaking at once, various world leaders asking how the rangers can defend them, other stating they don’t need or trust the rangers and others concerned about what Blood is planning next. Knowing that he can never get everyone to agree or even try to answer all their questions, he raises his hand again, lifting the projector and pressing it on, shooting the images flowing through it on the wall to his right.

“Please everyone, I understand that this is frightening, but this is what Emperor Blood has done to other worlds…”

Silence fills the chamber as the bloody images that Tommy is already intimately familiar with captivate the room’s occupants. When the images finally end, he shuts it down and clears his throat, gaining everyone’s attention once again.

“I know that some of you would want to try and fight; to use your military forces or even your nuclear armament to attempt to destroy Blood’s forces and ship, but we ask, we implore you not to do so,” he says simply, causing some people to murmur with their allies or advisors. “We ask that you give us another 24 hours before you do anything further… six hours before the deadline… we’ll do everything we can to protect Earth… just like we always have.”

At Tommy’s last words, Billy recognized that it was time to get their leader out of there, and quickly reversed the transportation sequence, pulling Tommy back to the command center. 

“How do you think it went?” Billy asked as Tommy popped the locks on his helmet and regarded their ‘technical advisor’ with a serious look.

“I really don’t know. They could ignore me totally and go try and destroy Blood. But I hope your video presentation and the history of the rangers convinces them to give us the time I asked for.”

“They’re willing to give us more time?” Jason questioned as he moved to meet Billy and Tommy as they entered the living area to join the rest of the group.

“I asked for another 24 hours…” Tommy explained as he moved to set down his helmet and the micro-projector Billy had sent him with before tiredly sitting in an armchair.

“Which is six less than the deadline,” noted Trini, doing the fast math.

“I wanted them to feel like they had some options… some control of their own fate.”

“But it puts us in a bind,” Zack remarked as he looked to Billy. “The repairs still aren’t done.”

“And we still don’t know where and how we can engage Blood before that deadline,” Aisha pointed out.

“We’ll find a way,” answered Tommy, and then added, “We always do, right?”

Everyone silently acknowledged Tommy’s words – the rangers always did find a way to win and this time had to be no different… even with the odds against them.

Behind them the television continued its coverage of the official verification of the return of power rangers to Earth, including the transcript of the Red Ranger’s speech to the Security Council. Witnesses from San Francisco were being interviewed now, telling about their seeing Blood’s people being held off by the rangers earlier in the day. Other commentators and political representatives were discussing how the rangers might help or hurt the situation.

Sighing, a few of the team shook their heads at the idea that people still didn’t trust the rangers, after everything they’d done to save the planet, over and over. 

Suddenly a strange chiming sound filled the air, and Billy looked up, his eyes wide and a stunned expression on his face.

“What’s that?” asked Tanya, seeing Billy’s reaction as he bolted from the couch and headed to the command center communications console.

“It’s our external communications line,” Billy breathed as he pressed a sequence of buttons, the others having followed him into the command center. With one last button press, there was a hiss of static and the screen filled with an image and a voice…

“Power rangers of Earth, come in. This is the Space Rangers,” came the voice as the image of five uniforms everyone in the room never thought they’d see again filled the monitor, and a collective, spontaneous cheer filled the room.


	12. Finding an Opening

On the screen the image of the five rangers held everyone’s attention. The nearly as one they removed their helmets, revealing themselves to the Photon team and the support staff. TJ, now the blue ranger stood in the center, surrounded by Carlos, now in black, Ashley, still in yellow and Cassie in pink. Slightly behind them was the red ranger; however he wasn’t someone anyone on the Earth team recognized.

“Tommy,” began TJ, “I see you’re back in uniform again.”

“Couldn’t be helped TJ,” replied the man who had passed TJ the red ranger mantle, which was now being worn by someone else. “I see you switched to blue?”

“Long story, but yeah. Anyhow, I’m gonna let Andros take over… he’s the team leader for the Space Rangers.”

The red ranger moved to stand next to TJ. His two toned hair pulled back as it was reminded Tommy of the years he’d worn his in a similar fashion. He wondered what else he had in common with the leader of the Space Rangers.

“Andros…” Tommy said respectfully as he addressed his counterpart.

“Tommy,” Andros began, somewhat nervously. “I understand that Billy Cranston is who tried to contact us…”

“I did… but I never heard back…” Billy stated quickly, jumping into the conversation. “I had hoped the Turbo team was still out in space, but when I never got any answer I had to assume they were… lost.”

“I’m sorry it took so long to respond. We’ve been on the other side of the universe and only recently got your message. Is Blood there?”

“Yes… we’ve engaged him and… took some casualties…” Tommy answered, his voice thick with emotion.

Andros paused for a moment and the four former Turbo rangers behind him looked confused at the idea. When they’d finally received Billy’s urgent message, hundreds of light years from Earth they’d headed back as quickly as they could, but it seemed that they were already too late; the battle had already begun.

“Well we’re nearly there. At our current rate of speed we should be there in less than an Earth day,” Andros relayed, hoping that the idea of reinforcements could bolster the Earth team’s spirits in what seemed to be difficult circumstances.

Everyone sighed with some relief. Still, they all knew that the deadline they had for Blood’s demand to surrender was just over 24 hours… the Space team’s arrival would cut it close. And even then, they might have to engage Blood before the time limit expired, and they still were at a disadvantage…

“In the meantime, DECA is sending over everything we have in regards to Blood,” Andros continued, unaware of the deadlines and technical issues the Photon team was facing.

“We have a lot of that information already,” Billy remarked, not caring much for videos and data files when what they needed was weapons and a miracle, “What we really need right now is an armor material that can stand up to the metal of Blood’s weapons. We can’t take any more losses like we did today.”

The Space team looked around at one another, none of them thinking that casualties could mean serious injury… sure, they’d all been hurt at one time or another, but nothing serious…

“Billy, Tommy, what’s your team’s status?” asked Andros, his voice dropping to a reverent near-whisper.

“We have two injured, seriously enough they can’t go back out into the field… and one dead,” Tommy replied, his throat threatening to close up as he spoke those words.

Cassie audibly gasped before she covered her mouth with her hands, Ashley wrapping her arms around herself as she looked away from the screen; Carlos and TJ stood stunned, and Andros dropped his head. There was a long moment of silence before Andros looked up and looked briefly at Billy and the other rangers around the view screen before settling his gaze on Tommy, the red ranger and obvious leader. 

“I’m sorry… we didn’t realize. If you have the properties of the metal Blood’s people have that is not being blocked by the armor, we’ll do what we can to analyze it. Once we have a solution we will send it back by coded transmission.”

“Thank you,” said Billy. “I’ll send you the information I’ve gathered so far as soon as possible. The sooner we get the results so I can see if there are any modifications we can make to the suits is crucial. We’re sort of under the clock here.”

“Understood. Oh, and we have an old friend of yours with us…” Andros announced as he attempted to lighten the mood as he, Carlos and Ashley moved aside to allow the golden domed aide to the team to wander into the line of the camera.

“Alpha!” exclaimed many of the rangers in the command center as the short robotic helper to the early teams ambled into the frame.

“Rangers! It’s so good to see you all,” he said in a slightly different voice, but he was still their Alpha.

“It’s good to see you too Alpha,” replied Billy, speaking for everyone.

“We’ll be waiting on your information Billy. Until we arrive, be well,” Andros said, and then closed the com.

When the view screen snapped back to black, the Photon team looked around at one another with a variety of emotions… hope and happiness had begun to force down the fear and sorrow. With the timely arrival of the Space Ranger team, they might really have a chance of defeating Blood.

“This is such good news… I never thought we’d hear from the Turbo Rangers again,” stated Adam, still buzzed by the pending arrival of the Space team.

“Not Turbo Rangers any longer – you heard; they’re the Space team now,” corrected Tanya, looking at her former boyfriend.

“With a new leader…” pointed out Aisha as she glanced at Tommy.

“I got the feeling that he wasn’t human, at least not Earth human,” Trini remarked, surprised by how lucky the former Turbo team had been to find an ally in space with powers to offer them.

“I wonder how they found him… and changed powers?” Jason asked aloud.

“That’s probably one heck of a story,” Zack implied, expecting no less when ranger were involved.

“One that can wait until we deal with Blood,” stated Tommy, bringing the others back to the matter at hand. “Billy, how soon can you get that information to Andros on the metal?”

“I’ve already started an analysis on a metal chip I was able to retrieve from the yellow ranger helmet. Once the scan is done, I’ll send the information to the Space team to see if they can identify it, and hopefully they can send back the technological solution for adapting the armor to counter it.”

“Okay, until then, we still have tasks to address,” Tommy stated, glancing around the team members surrounding him and Billy and reinforcing their situation with his determined gaze, “Let’s get to it everyone… we have help coming but we need to be ready once they’re finally here.”

-x-

During the following hours Billy had been able to send off his analysis and had redoubled his efforts with Tanya and Aisha to fix the uniforms while the others addressed some of the other tasks in preparation of facing Blood’s people again. With a short break for dinner, they resumed their work until Billy heard the communications chime once again fairly late into the evening and moved from his final repairs to the yellow ranger suit to see if it was his miracle. As he opened the static message, he watched as the data formulas flowed before him, and he stood stunned at what Andros and his ship DECA had been able to synthesize.

“Tommy!”

The red ranger sat at the dining table where he and the others had begun discussing strategy for when they’d have to go back into the field and face Blood; at the sound of Billy’s voice, Tommy turned quickly from his place prompting the others to turn as well, focusing on Billy’s urgent shout.

“Andros sent the formula for strengthening the armor against Blood’s metals. If I read this right, I can alter all the uniforms before morning!” he said, moving to the others as he grinned happily.

“That’s great news. How can we help?” Trini asked with a matching smile.

“I just need a couple people…” Billy started and was quickly cut off.

“I’ll give you a hand…” Tommy immediately offered, beginning to stand.

“No,” Billy said firmly, realizing Tommy would do anything to protect the team, but he knew it was in the team’s best interest if he didn’t, “you should get some rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and the uniformed team will more than likely be out there before the end of the day.”

“But Jason and Trini are going out tonight…” 

“We are,” remarked Jason, looking pointedly at his friend, “but as soon as we get back we’ll crash.”

“Aisha and Zack can help me. As it is, I hope it won’t be all night to fix the uniforms…”

“I’m down with that,” Zack announced and then turned to Aisha,” you okay with not snuggling in with your wounded beau?”

Aisha gave him a glare but nodded, knowing she wanted to be with Rocky but needed to be sure Adam and the others didn’t end up like him and Kim… or Kat.

“So that means I can sleep?” Tommy asked somewhat incredulously, even though he admitted did want to just go upstairs to his room and check in on Kimberly.

“After you and Adam give me your uniforms. I already have the pink, blue and yellow suits. As soon as I get the suits molecularly altered I’ll give them back to you.”

Tommy looked to Adam who simply shrugged.

“Okay… I guess Adam and I can change out of our suits and bring them back down to you before we catch some Z’s.”

“Actually…” Billy started, looking at Jason and Zack with a pointed stare.

“How about the Zack man and I come with you two and take them off your hands?” Jason suggested after getting Billy’s unspoken message loud and clear.

“I don’t think we need butler service,” complained Adam, but Zack simply walked over and clasped a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s been a tough day. I don’t think either of you not having to come back out here with your uniforms before you crash is such a bad thing. Besides, if you’re being all modest, Jase and I can wait outside the doors.”

“Fine…” agreed Adam with resignation, knowing it was a battle he wasn’t going to win.

“Alright, let’s get moving,” prompted Jason, giving Tommy a light shove to the center of his back, propelling him forward a step. “Sooner you two are out of your suits the sooner Billy can fix them!”

Adam and Zack headed towards Adam’s lower level room where he stood outside the door and then took the black ranger uniform when Adam slipped it out the door. As soon as Zack had it Adam swiftly closed the door and those still in the common space fought not to laugh at the image of an embarrassed Adam on the other side of the door, knowing everyone knew he’d stripped down to hand over the uniform.

Upstairs Jason and Tommy had reached his room and having few secrets as best friends and former gym locker buddies, Jason followed Tommy into his room. Once inside, Tommy moved to the bathroom to turn on the light, slightly illuminating the room but not so much as to wake the slumbering woman on his bed.

“She’s out of it,” said Jason softly, wanting to allow Kim to continue to sleep.

“Yeah. Once the pain killer stuff finally kicked in and she stopped fighting it, she was out,” replied Tommy in the same hushed tone as he pressed the spot to armor up before he popped the latches on his helmet and placed it on the sink counter.

“It was way too close today,” remarked Jason, recalling not only his friend’s fears but his own.

“It was. But if Andros and the Space rangers have the solution to our armor issues, we’ll be a whole lot better prepared for Blood next time,” answered Tommy as he pulled off his uniform and tucked boots, gloves and helmet on top of the red and white uniform. He quickly walked over to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and sweats, slipped them on and then turned to grab the suit and hand it to Jason.

“I could have lost her and you bro,” Jason said as he took the uniform from his friend. Tommy looked at Jason and saw the worry that had been previously only directed at Kim now finally turned towards him. 

“But you didn’t. and if we go back out there tomorrow, I know you’ll be watching my back, just like I have yours,” he stated seriously as he gave Jason a grin, before he reached over and clasped his arm around his best friend’s shoulder. 

“You know it. Now get some sleep. You could use it.”

With that Jason turned and headed out the door, closing it behind him. Once Jason was gone, Tommy went and turned off the light in the bathroom and then padded his way to the bed. Pulling aside the covers, he slid under them, curling up behind Kim, listening to her even breathing as he closed his eyes and let himself relax and fall asleep beside her.

-x-

Later that evening, Trini had taken the last MUNI bus to get to her apartment. Once there she drove her car back to the warehouse, arriving sometime before 2 am. As she arrived, she drove it around to the service entrance where Jason was waiting and opened the large service access double doors to allow her to drive the car into the front area of the warehouse. Climbing out, she watched the new Blue Photon Ranger close the doors behind her and then turn to pensively regard the vehicle that was their key to providing Katherine closure with her family and friends.

“Are you having second thoughts?” asked Trini, seeing the concern on his face.

“I just… I wish there was another way to do this. And certainly one that wouldn’t total your car,” he replied, trying to lighten the mood with a bit of humor.

She smiled wanly at him and just shrugged her shoulders. They’d needed a good plan and this was the only one where the injuries would make sense. Besides, she had car insurance… it would more than likely be considered totaled so she could get a new one later.

“You have your photon pistol?”

He nodded and patted his side; even though he hadn’t gotten his suit yet he had the gear. Jason pulled his photon pistol from his belt and targeted the vehicle before him. With a few shots he had dented up the front end of the vehicle on the driver side significantly. Then with the utmost awareness of the need to be thorough, he climbed into the front seat and shot again, spider webbed the front windshield as if Kat had slammed into it.

Jason and Trini then headed to the medical bay and picked up Kat’s body, shuttling it through the command center with Billy, Adam and Aisha watching their every move before they passed into the warehouse and laid Kat’s body in the trunk before closing it up. Trini climbed back into the driver’s seat and paused until Jason opened the door, drove out and then waited for him to join her after closing up again. As soon as he was in, she pulled out onto the street and they drove along the Embarcadero in the dead of night, not seeing more than one or two cars as they made their way to the secluded area near McCovey Cove that Trini had picked out. 

Once there they carefully maneuvered to a dark spot near the watery edge of the bay and Jason checked that there were no people around. After putting the car in park, but leaving the engine on, Trini climbed out of the driver’s seat to meet Jason at the trunk. Opening it, Jason picked up Kat’s body and carried her to the front seat. Settling her in, Trini took the sheet and folded it and tucked it under her arm. 

Reaching across the floorboard of the car, Jason slid Kat’s foot on the gas petal and heard the car rev at the new influx of gasoline to the engine. He then backed up, standing next to Trini as he contemplated the last step. All that was left was to take the brake off and the car and Kat would jump the curb and land in the water…

Trini’s hand reached over to catch Jason’s in a reassuring manner. 

“Farewell Kat. We’ll miss you,” Trini said softly and then turned to Jason and gave him a sad smile.

He returned her expression and then nodded, letting go of her hand so and then popped the brake, the car jumping forward and surging towards the water, the car door closing with the forward momentum of the vehicle. Moments later the car leapt over a slight curb and was crashing into the water. A wave of liquid rose up around the vehicle before settling, the car almost submerged except for the tail end.

With the deed done and not wanting to be seen, they hurried across the street and towards a bar that was serving a last call, went inside, had a drink and then asked the bartender to call them a cab. Fifteen minutes later he and Trini were on their way back to the warehouse, no one aware of the car and body still waiting to be discovered in the light of day.

-x-

Billy had spent most of the night and into the morning manipulating the molecular structure of the ranger suits to match the formula that Andros had sent him. After Trini and Jason had come back, he’d sent them along with Zack and Aisha to bed, not wanting everyone dead on their feet when morning came and knowing that there wasn’t more that they could do to help. 

Realistically he knew that if he’d had days to accomplish what he was doing it would have been easier, but the circumstances gave him mere hours. Still, he was a genius and had spent more than one all-nighter since arriving on Earth and prepping for Blood’s arrival.

When there was finally a breakthrough at 6am, Billy quickly closed the glass doors to the holding chamber where he’d returned the uniforms to. At the control panel he inputted the final formula and watched as the suits behind the frosted glass glowed. After what seemed hours the glow subsided and he hit the button to open the doors. What he found surprised him.

The ‘enhanced’ uniforms had changed.

Once the new alloy was molecularly bonded had with the Photon armor, it had given the material a metallic hue. Billy was surprised to see the result of the molecular composition, but the fact was that the suits would now be more resistant to the materials of Misery and Pain’s blades. And that was the point. 

He signed in relief, removing his glasses as his eyed slid closed. After a moment he looked at his watched and knew the early risers would be up soon, so he left the command center and headed to the kitchen, pulling eggs, bacon and bread for breakfast. Sure enough, Rocky, supported by Aisha came out; Rocky lured by the smell of the bacon Billy had started cooking and Aisha by needing to get Rocky up.

Setting Rocky in a seat at the kitchen table, she went to look at the uniforms where she and Zack had helped Billy put them back on their forms in the command center. She blinked several times before turning to Billy, who glanced at her from his scrambling eggs to nod and smile. With a grin she passed Rocky, giving him a light kiss before moving on to help Billy before everyone else woke up.

Soon the room was filled with people, some marveling at the armor, some getting their breakfast and others wondering where their fearless leader was.

“He was crashing with Kim, so we might not see them for a while,” Jason said suggestively before Aisha threw a strawberry at him from the fruit she’d pulled from the fridge.

“She’s wounded. For God’s sake Jason, Tommy’s not that hard up,” she pointed out, and then waved in Rocky’s direction. “You don’t see me jumping my guy, do you?”

Adam stared at her for a moment where he sat at the table next to Trini and Tanya and covered his ears as he shut his eyes, stating, “’sha, we really don’t need to hear this!”

Tanya laughed and pulled his hands down, before going back to her breakfast.

“Still, it is strange… usually Kim would be up by now,” Trini noted, remembering her early rising friend after years of gymnastics workouts before school.

“Again, she’s wounded. And who knows…” began Rocky before the subject of the discussion emerged from Tommy’s room and Kimberly and Tommy slowly headed towards the kitchen.

“What’s the word Billy?” Tommy asked as he came down the stairs, Kimberly walking along side of him, her right hand holding her left arm across her stomach.

“You’re sparkly,” said Aisha with a smirk, as she pointed to the suits in the command center.

“What she means is that the element characteristics of the molecular bonding for the existing armor and the new enhancement had produced a metallic effect to the uniforms,” Billy explained.

He stepped away from Kim for a moment and saw that the red ranger suit now had a metallic shine to the red and white armor, turning the red into a more ruby sheen, almost like a candy apple red paint job on a muscle car and the white had transformed to near silver. His eyes widened as he looked at the other uniforms, noting similar changes in their colors.

“But the changes mean that they can go back out there and not get sliced up, yes?” Kim asked as she sat down next to Jason, hissing a bit as she fought to move her left arm from the shoulder.

“Hold on,” Tanya stated as she jumped up and headed over to the medical bay and pulled out a shoulder sling. Returning to the table she helped Kim slip her healing arm into the sling, easing the pressure on her shoulder. “That should help.”

“Thanks.” Kimberly replied, turning back to Billy for an answer even as Tommy walked back to the kitchen, grabbing two plates of food for him and her. “So, will it work?”

“All the analysis I’ve run and the results from Andros indicate that the molecular change will be 100% effective in dealing with most attacks by the metal weapons Blood’s generals wield.”

“Most attacks?” asked Adam, sitting up straighter at that.

“I can’t tell what would happen with a direct kill shot,” admitted Billy some what ashamed. “I think the armor would mitigate the damage, but…”

“But at least most of the injuries, like Kim and Rocky’s should be non-issues now right?” asked Tommy, pulling Kim closer to him with one arm as she sat beside her.

“Yes.”

“So, that’s good! We have new armor and the Space team is on its way… now what?” Aisha asked.

“We find a way to take Blood’s forces down before the deadline,” replied Tommy, matter of factly,” and then deal with him once and for all.”


	13. Making Tough Decisions

Everyone looked at Tommy as the muscles of his face grew taut and his eyes hardened, nearly blazing with intensity. There had been something in the way he’d said ‘deal with him once and for all’ that had sounded… different from any of their experience with Tommy as a leader. It almost sounded… vengeful?

“Tommy, you aren’t suggesting…” Jason began before Tommy turned to look at him, eyes blazing.

“Killing Blood? Yes. Him, Misery, Pain, all of them.”

“But Zordon’s code…” interrupted Kim, stunned at Tommy’s sudden vehemence. 

“Zordon’s gone,” Tommy reminded Kim almost harshly. “We’re here and we’re the last thing between Blood and the people of Earth ending up ashes, just like every other planet he’s crushed.”

“We don’t have to kill him. Even with Zedd we let him accept defeat and leave,” Jason noted, wanting his friend and the team’s leader to think things out. 

“We don’t have that luxury anymore.”

The others stood and watched as their leader argued with Kim and Jason, surprised by the conflict between the three of them. Jason was Tommy’s best friend and Kim his girlfriend; they were the two people that had been closest to him for years and watched him deal with everything from his evil green ranger days to Zedd’s arrival through Prince Gasket’s kidnapping and brainwashing. Yet the fact was that they were at odds as to how to deal with Blood. None of them could believe what they were hearing… that Tommy was advocating killing his enemies? 

It was Kim that put the pieces together finally, and frowned slightly before she moved to clutch Tommy’s upper left arm with her right hand, her left hanging from the sling. At her touch, his eyes swung to her face and some of his anger seemed to dissipate.

“Just because we lost Katherine and Rocky and I got hurt does not justify killing another living being,” Kim reminded him softly, her eyes searching his for the spark of pain she knew was there, buried under his words.

He closed his eyes and left his right hand scrub through his short hair. It was no surprise that she could cut through all his anger and get to the heart of his pain. He did want Blood and his people dead for what they had done to her, to Rocky and Kat. But there was more t o it, and he needed to make her understand that.

“Kimberly,” he replied, moving his hands up to capture her face as he gazed at her, his pain and love evident to her within his dark eyes, “I can’t allow him to kill or maim anyone else.” 

“So you’re gonna take it on yourself to be judge and jury?” asked Jason, laying a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, causing his friend to turn and regard him seriously.

“If I have to, yes,” he replied, pulling a hand from Kim’s face to lie on Jason’s shoulder. “You know I don’t relish this idea, but I have to protect the people I love, as well as the people on this planet. And to do that, Blood needs to be destroyed.”

“What about how the rest of us feel about this?” asked Tanya, still concerned about Tommy’s willingness to use deadly force on Blood, even if Kim and Jason seemed to have tempered his desire for vengeance. “We’re part of the team. You’re making a decision for all of us.”

“It’s one I support,” murmured Adam, causing Tanya to whip her gaze to him.

“What?” she asked her former boyfriend, unsure she’d heard him right.

“We’ve played by good guy rules ever since we first became rangers,” he clarified, his gaze lighting briefly on every person there before meeting Tommy’s eyes. “We don’t escalate, we don’t start things and we let the bad guys retreat only to come back. In the old days, when no one really got hurt and the casualties were minimal… the stakes minimal, it was okay, but now…”

“Adam and Tommy… they’re right,” added Billy, frowning slightly at the realization that with Kat’s death things had irrevocably changed.

“Of course they are,” Rocky interjected angrily, his hand moving unconsciously to his stomach where the single slice from Misery’s claw was healing. “We got slaughtered out there, and Blood’s goons would have happily killed us all before they started massacring the civilian population.”

“And who’s to say that it would stop there?” Tommy reminded them all. “Blood has turned worlds to ashes, committed genocide… and we’re the only ones that can stop him now, before Earth joins the ranks. And if we don’t, there are more worlds still out there…”

“So this is about saving other planets from Blood?” asked Aisha, now realizing that being caught up in their own struggles with Blood, she and some of the others had forgotten what else was at stake if they lost… not only would Earth die but Blood could continue to subjugate and murder other beings, other worlds…

“Yes, but there’s more to it than that; we have to protect ourselves too…” Tommy stated sighing as he recalled all the thoughts that had filled his head as he had seriously considered the implications of his plan to eliminate Blood permanently.

There was a long pause as everyone considered his words. Besides saving Earth and saving other planets from Blood’s wrath, what else…

“Protecting us, that’s it, isn’t it Tommy?” asked Trini softly, realizing that at the core their leader’s decision wasn’t about revenge or bloodlust but about practicality and security. “If we don’t put Blood down for good, if we let him leave, not only are we risking him coming back but we leave Earth open for future attacks.”

Those members of the team that had been arguing against Tommy’s plan for destroying Blood and his forces had already been wavering in their conviction against the idea, but as Trini spoke, Jason, Kim and Tanya all realized the other benefit Tommy was trying to provide with his plan.

“You think if we kill Blood, disband his army…” Jason breathed, still stunned at the realization that had come to him like lightning.

“No one’s coming back to Earth then,” Tommy answered simply, as if this was the most logical thing in the world.

“If we… the rangers have a reputation…” Tanya added, finally seeing where Tommy was coming from as well.

“We won’t have to defend the planet, yeah.”

Everyone seemed to consider that; the idea that by killing Blood that no other would-be conqueror would dare come to Earth for fear of ending up like Blood. It was a stunningly simple plan…

“You can’t believe killing Blood will mean we’d be safe…” Kim argued, even if she was not as sure of her argument as she had been minutes earlier.

“Why not? Blood has a reputation that makes worlds fear him. If we kill him, why can’t evil fear us?”

“Because it won’t work,” declared Kim, her eyes tearing as she thought of what Zordon would say if he could see this. “There will always be a villain that wants to conquer planets, Earth included. That’s why the rangers have been here…”

“And where were they when Blood turned his sights on Earth?” he reminded her forcefully, shocking her into stunned silence. “Billy spent a year looking to get the old Turbo team back from space and instead ended up building all this himself and getting us back in uniform. Unless you plan on them staying or us continuing to be rangers we need to end this once and for all.”

“So if we don’t kill Blood we’re stuck as the Earth’s guardians?” Trini questioned, not sure if this was a good or bad thing.

“Look everyone let’s table the debate regarding the future of power rangers for now. What we need to do is focus on Blood. While I would prefer to have Blood just leave, defeated, I have to agree that Tommy may be right… we may need to kill him to stop him. Is there anyone here that can’t accept that fact?” Billy questioned simply, hoping to end the dispute.

No one raised their hands.

-x-

After deciding that everyone needed a break to cool off and let calmer heads prevail and knowing that the next battle could be the most difficult and significant, Billy suggested everyone relax and take some down time. Rocky, Adam, Tanya and Aisha had decided to take a walk along the Embarcadero and Trini had insisted on staying and keeping Billy company as he headed into the command center. Kim and Tommy had stayed in the common area for a while; talking with Jason some more before the new blue ranger stood and sighed.

“I get it bro, I do…” he said, his face twisted with a grimace as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. “I had just hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”

“Me too Jase. But we need to be smart about this, and stopping Blood once and for all is the best thing we can do,” Tommy insisted, hoping that he’d finally gotten his best friend on his side; that he understood where Tommy was coming from.

“Understood. I… I’m gonna go check in with Billy and Trini. I’ll see you both later.”

As Jason walked away, Kimberly turned to the man she loved so desperately and stood as well. She got why he wanted to kill Blood. What sane person wouldn’t?

“Let’s go upstairs…”

Nodding, he stood and Kim turned and then moved to climb the stairs, Tommy following her. She headed to his room in the hopes of talking further and resolving the rift that seemed to have settled between then that his need to protect the planet and rid the universe of Blood and his henchmen had caused. Once she was inside, she waited for him to enter and then closed the door.

“That was pretty harsh out there,” Kimberly said as she moved past Tommy to sit on his bed, her back pressed against the pillows and wall.

“I just… we can’t play this game with kid gloves anymore,” he stated again, moving to sit before her and taking hold of her hands, gripping them tightly.

“I know handsome. But killing… even a bad guy is something new for us all.”

“So is losing a ranger.”

“But Tommy…”

“Kim, I don’t know what I would have done if that had been you on the ground. I don’t think I… ” Tommy started, his voice faltering for a moment at the emotions choking him even as he raised one hand to cup her face. “And if I can make sure that nothing ever happens to you… to Jason and the others, to our families and friends, hell the whole planet, then I’m gonna do everything in my power to it.”

Kim looked down and away. She couldn’t fathom what seeing Katherine’s body had been like for him. She knew if it had been Tommy… and then on top of that she’d been hurt too; she remembered the ragged sound of his voice as he’d called out after she’s been impaled on Misery’s claws. It had sounded… anguished at a level she didn’t think she’d ever heard from him before. 

Even through there had been nothing he could do to stop any of it, the fact that she and Rocky had suffered and Kat had died at Pain and Misery’s hands wasn’t something Tommy ‘the leader’ or her boyfriend would ever begin to get past and an experience he never wanted to repeat.

And looking at it from that perspective Kim had to admit that it was a powerful motivation for killing Blood… for killing them all.

She finally sighed and nodded slightly, accepting the fact that to save everyone they might have to take lives. Then she let him pull her towards him as he settled her against his chest, one arm around her back as his head tipped forward to rest on hers as they simply appreciated the fact that they were both alive and were with one another.

-x-

Trini had been visiting with Billy, doing her best to keep him from becoming overly obsessed with getting the team prepared for their next engagement before remembering she needed to take care of one crucial piece of business and had wandered into the warehouse section of the building, leaving Billy alone until Jason joined him.

“So you’re okay with this?” Jason asked Billy, and the other man nodded.

“We need to stop Blood… and making sure he can’t escape and annihilate any other worlds is a good thing in my opinion. If you knew he’d only go to another planet and wipe out the beings there if we let him retreat, how would you sleep at night?”

Jason scowled at Billy’s flawless logic. They were engaged with Blood now; if they let him go and he killed anyone else, if would be their fault… thinking like that made Tommy’s concerns even more reasonable than before.

“Where’d you wander off to?” asked Jason as Trini suddenly appeared from the warehouse door.

“I just called the SFPD about Kat and the car. They didn’t have the car or Kat reported located yet,” Trini said, Jason and Billy frowning at the news.

“I thought you said the car would be found there without much problem,” queried Jason, growing apprehensive.

“I did. Maybe they have but the report isn’t in the system yet.”

“Are you concerned at all about your car being involved in an accidental death?” Billy questioned, his concern for her tangible.

“Jason asked about that earlier. It had to be done and since I live here and Katherine was visiting me, it makes the most amount of sense.”

“I… we just don’t want you in trouble if things go…” Billy continued making Trini smile softy at him before she laid a hand on his right cheek before kissing the opposite one.

“No worries. I think the only thing I would be worried about is if they looked closer to identify time of death…”

“Because we had her here for twelve hours after the fight with Blood’s people?” questioned Jason.

“Yeah.”

“We set it up pretty well…”

“I really don’t think they’ll look too far. More than anything I just hope that we can finish this all in time to be able to go to whatever funeral her parents set up.”

At that, Billy and Jason looked at Trini with stunned expressions. They had forgotten about a formal funeral… a chance to pay their last respects properly.

“So do I. I know we all will want to go,” Jason acknowledged.

“We just have to survive Blood to do it,” said Billy, reminding all of them of their more urgent concern.

-x-

“Tommy can’t be serious, can he?” asked Tanya as she sat with Aisha, Adam and Rocky at an outdoor table at a coffee shop where they’d stopped along the pedestrian walkway of The Embarcadero roadway.

“Why not? It’s a reasonable decision,” Adam stated, as he set his coffee down to reach over and catch Tanya’s had with his, reminding his ex girlfriend that he was there for her as they all went through this experience.

“But we have never…”

“And that’s the point, I think,” Aisha noted, looking from Tanya to her boyfriend and her best friend, who she knew were both on board with the idea of finishing Blood permanently.

“How many times did we have to do the same thing over again?” Rocky noted, intentionally not saying exactly what he meant since they had civilians passing them at intermittent intervals.

“A lot. Different groups over and over. So I get Tommy not wanting to have us deal with that anymore,” Tanya admitted reluctantly.

“So this is really about finishing this once and for all,” Rocky intoned before he took another sip of his coffee.

“I just… it’s so strange to be talking like this. We never even considered something like this before…”

“And like Tommy said, things have changed,” Adam replied, his smile tempered with a hint of nostalgia at simpler days.

“Still, if we want to see this through, once and for all, I think we’re going to have to take the hard line…” Aisha expressed honestly, reaching her free hand to catch Rocky’s and squeezing it tight for a moment.

Around the table three sets of eyes looked to Aisha and expressed their acknowledgement that maybe things really had changed forever, and that the power rangers would do whatever it took to win the day and save the world. 

-x-

Several hours later, and still around eight hours before the deadline, everyone had gathered once again in the common living area, the TV news running in the background as it continued to count down the 48 hour demand from Emperor Blood. And as each minute slipped away, coming closer to the 6 hour deadline Tommy had given the UN without any word or action by Blood, the Photon team still didn’t know how they could draw Blood out and take him down.

“We’re running out of time. We need to do something to prompt Blood…” remarked Tommy, getting frustrated with his inability to find a way to tempt Blood and his generals into jumping the gun and engaging them. “If we don’t…”

“The Earth governments will take action,” Jason finished for him, feeling the weight his best friend and the team’s leader was experiencing, if only marginally. “They didn’t say they were giving us the time, but since there hasn’t been anything on the news about them suggesting firing their nukes…” 

“You know they probably have been already working on their plans for a while, but they just haven’t let it out to the press,” remarked Adam as he leaned forward in his seat

“Please, don’t say that…” said Aisha, now more nervous than before. “We don’t need to fight two sides at once.”

“Maybe we don’t fight both sides. Maybe we should get the governments to help…” Billy suddenly suggested, his eyes widening as the idea formed in his head.

“What are you thinking?” Tanya quickly questioned, Billy’s expression giving her unexpected hope.

“What if we go back to the UN and provide them a plan? Say that we want to lure Blood and his people into a trap… that we’ll surrender but under our terms. And when Blood gets there to sign the ‘surrender’…” offered Billy, his eyes turning to Tommy as he waited for his friend and the team leader to catch on.

“We’d show up and blow the heck out of them?” Tommy finished, his mouth lifting into a grin. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“But will the world governments go for it?” Kim questioned, not sure if they could convince all the government leaders of the idea.

“Why not? They don’t have anything to lose,” Jason insisted as he nodded slightly in approval of the idea.

“Will they accept us running the operation?” Tanya queried, thinking that more than a few military leaders wouldn’t like taking ‘orders’ from power rangers, no matter that they were the good guys and had saved the world more than once.

“We can work with them…” Billy started, glancing around at the team as they all pondered the situation.

“The first time we approached them, it was just Tommy asking them for more time. This is a lot different,” Trini pointed out.

“Of course it is,” Adam agreed but continued to push in favor of the plan, “we’re walking back in and asking them to trust us more than last time, but we have the credibility. For God’s sake, we’re the power rangers… they should be more than willing to help us save the Earth,”

“But if we go back in with this plan, asking more from them, who’s to say they won’t want more from us? What if they want our assurance… and our identities? We can’t reveal ourselves, and there are only five of us with uniforms,” Rocky stated worriedly.

There was a long pause. They didn’t want their identities known… there was no way to know what danger it would put them and their families in, but the world was at stake…

“We will just have to be clear that we can’t let them know our identities… that we are in uniform for a reason, to protect ourselves and our families. But we need to decide now, before we go any further… if the only way to get their cooperation is to agree to revealing ourselves…” began Tommy, looking to Jason, Trini, Adam and Tanya for agreement.

“If we don’t have a choice,” Jason answered and Tanya, Trini and Adam nodded in agreement.

“But only if it’s our last option,” Tommy confirmed, and then remembered they had other rangers on their way. “Any word on when the Space team will arrive?”

“No,” replied Billy. “Do you want to do this now… before the 6 hour limit expires, even without knowing when the Space team will get here… if we’ll have any backup?”

“Yes. We’re on our own… if they get here in time, great, but if not, it is still up to us to stop Blood. Rangers, let’s get suited up.”

With that Tommy strode to the command center and pressed the button to open the chamber where the new metallic uniforms waited for them. He reached up and pulled down his red armor, glancing to his right to see Jason grab the blue and Adam his black, and to his left Tanya taking the pink and Trini the yellow. 

Once they had their gear they headed to their rooms, hurriedly changing into the uniforms marking them as Photon Rangers. While they changed the others moved into the command center to wait. Rocky and Kim watched as their armor strode into the command center with a sense of melancholy. Tommy, helmet under his arm came to Kim’s side and caught her hand with his, looking at her seriously. 

“We’ll be okay,” he stated before leaning down to kiss her lips briefly. “Billy, ready to send us?”

“Affirmative. As soon as you are ready to come back, just say the word… we’ll monitor you from here.”

Nodding, Tommy clicked his helmet into place and headed for the transport pad, Jason, Trini, Tanya and Adam following behind. Once in place, helmets on and looking every bit the ranger team, Billy flipped the switch to transport them to the UN headquarters. As soon as they were gone Kim, Aisha, Rocky and Billy turned to focus their attention to the communications panel and view screen, Billy and Trini having hacked into the closed television frequency after the last time Tommy had been there so they could monitor the arrival and progress of the team. 

And as they watched the brilliant light appear in the center of the UN Security Council room they all breathlessly hoped that Tommy was as persuasive with the world leaders regarding the plan as he had been before.


	14. Taking it on Faith

Within the UN Security Council chambers the five uniformed members of the Photon Ranger team suddenly appeared in a wash of bright light, startling several security guards who immediately drew their weapons and rushed to ring them. The flurry of activity at their appearance didn’t stop even though the rangers were standing still, letting the security teams feel as if they had the situation under control.

“A fine reception,” Tanya stated with a bit of complaint as the men and women surrounding them pointed their guns at them.

“We mean no harm. We’re here to speak to the Security Council…” Tommy announced, using his leader voice to assert his authority.

“You can stand down,” spoke the President of the Security Council suddenly, prompting the security team to back off; it was obvious to them all from his accent he was the council representative from the United States. “They’re here to help, correct Red Ranger?” 

“Yes sir. We apologize for just… appearing; however we urgently need to speak with you.”

“I think that since we last spoke that everyone here has come to realize that your Photon Rangers are here to assist us,” spoke a representative from the United Kingdom, one of the five permanent members of the council.

“We’re glad you feel that way. All the Photon Rangers or any ranger team here on Earth has ever wanted was to protect the planet,” Tommy continued his team standing in unity behind him as he spoke.

“Emperor Blood’s deadline is swiftly approaching,” stated the Chinese delegate, ”do you have a plan to defeat him?”

“We do. However it will require your assistance.”

“What do you need?” questioned the French council member.

“A location and a small government presence; our plan is to make Blood and his people believe that the governments of Earth are willing to surrender, and are requesting a formal signing of a treaty declaring as such. At the site of the formal surrender, once he and his people appear we will as well, and then we will engage them, allowing your people to retreat, with our only goal being to eliminate the threat they pose to Earth.”

The five main members of Security Council looked among themselves, not even considering the other ten non-static members as they pondered which permanent member country of the Security Council would be willing and able to invite an extraterrestrial threat to their soil. And guarantee that the Photon Rangers would be able to protect any diplomats or military personnel that would be needed to pull off such a ruse.

“The Russian Federation would be more than happy to let you use a section of the Siberian coastline… a good place being the Taymyr Peninsula. It is mostly tundra geography and suited for your kind of planned attack,” offered the Russian government representative.

“You should have directed them to Tunguska, considering…” remarked the US representative and council president with a lightly joking tone. “The damage there has already been done…”

The Russian representative grimaced but said nothing. It was the French delegate that noted concern with the Russian plan.

“Will this Emperor Blood believe such a remote location is the setting for our worldwide surrender? And can it be easily accessed by military forces?”

There was a large debate following the very valid point and the rangers watched as the world leaders discussed again where the trap would be set… which country could ‘host’ the signing in a logistically accessible location but not close enough to a civilian population where the fighting could spill over and that population could either end up being used as hostages or become collateral damage. Tommy and the others stood for what seemed a good ten to twenty minutes and waited while the government leaders discussed the issue amongst themselves.

“White Sands…” said the Council President suddenly, his eyes widening and a grin gracing his face.

“What is that?” asked the Chinese representative.

“The White Sands New Mexico Missile Range. It is removed from most major populations; I believe there is only one moderate sized city anywhere nearby and there is a military presence already established there.”

“A good location, yes,” agreed the British delegate.

“All in favor?” asked the French council member.

Everyone, now including the other 10 members of the council all raised their hands to indicate their support of the plan and location. Behind their helmets Jason, Tommy, Adam, Tanya and Trini all breathed silent sighs of relief.

“I’ll make the call to the President now. When the deadline comes, we’ll agree to surrender and request that the formal agreement occur there. We can expect you to be aware of that communication?”

“Yes sir. We’ll be monitoring for Blood’s communication. Once you set the time we’ll be there shortly before the deadline to coordinate with your people and then pull back to make sure Blood has no idea we’re there until he arrives.”

“Good. Thank you rangers,” replied the UN Security Council President sincerely.

“Of course. It’s what we do sir,” stated Tommy feeling gratitude that the council members had been more than accommodating and supportive of the plan and had asked nothing of the rangers besides their assistance when some of them had feared them asking for their identities before agreeing to help wit the ranger’s plan. 

He hoped that the UN Security Council’s support was because they trusted the history of the power rangers, even though a small part of him wondered if in reality it was simply more that they just didn’t have any other options than to trust them. Which in truth, they didn’t. 

With the discussion concluded and a decision made, the five rangers felt themselves being teleported back and with a bright flash the spot in the UN Security Council where they had stood was suddenly empty.

-x-

Once they rematerialized in the command center, all five rangers were removing their helmets and moving to join the others by the control panels before anyone could get a word out. Kim moved to Tommy’s side, looking at him with love and admiration… he’d done a great job with the UN and had been so commanding that no one had even considered questioning his plan or asking for ‘concessions’. It was a win-win, all the way around. But they still had to execute the plan and stop Blood.

“So they’re fully on board with the plan?” Billy verified quickly, the hope in his voice evident.

“Yes… I think they realized that we’re their only hope,” Tommy remarked, speaking aloud his previous unshared thoughts.

“I think the location is a good one,” commented Jason, diverting the conversation from the potentially dark path Tommy’s comment could have been construed as for a more upbeat one… they had gotten they UN’s agreement on their plan.

“Me too… it should keep to a minimum any civilian or military casualties,” Adam added quickly.

“I hate that we’ll even have to have UN or US forces on site at all…” Tanya started, sighing slightly. “It just means more people we have to protect.” 

“If they weren’t there, Blood would recognize the trap,” Trini pointed out, her thoughts unconsciously drifting to Katherine and her own recent actions to stage something so no one would know it wasn’t a lie.

“As it is, we’re putting at least one world leader at risk…” Kim noted with some distaste, even though they had no idea who the president and the UN would choose to take on that dangerous role. 

“I really doubt they’ll send the real heads of state,” Rocky remarked, discounting the idea. 

“They have to send someone… so whoever is there is either expecting they could get killed or expecting that the rangers will protect them,” Aisha replied.

“We will do what we can to keep them safe, but our priority will have to be Blood, Misery, Pain and whatever Banes they bring along,” Tommy stated simply, knowing that after the last fight he didn’t think they’d be able to walk away from another battle without any kind of casualties, and in this case it might have to be civilian or military ones.

“Any news on the Space Rangers?” questioned Tanya, thinking that the backup they could provide would be a huge help once they engaged Blood’s forces.

“Not since before you left. I think we need to expect to be on our own until they physically show up,” Billy remarked with a slight frown. He’d really hoped that the Space Rangers would be here already and step in to save the day.

“Fine then. The deadline is in three hours. Once they settle with Blood on the location and time, we’re supposed to be there shortly before Blood’s arrival to finalize the plan with the military and then get out of sight,” Tommy supplied briefly.

“Do we have something that will cloak our energy signature as well as ourselves, in case there isn’t any cover so we can be sure we’re one hundred percent hidden from Blood’s sensors?” asked Trini, focusing again on how to be sure the trap was seamless.

“Not currently but if I have three hours to do it, I can build something…” Billy stated with a nod.

“Great!” exclaimed Jason.

“What do we do until then?” Tanya queried, thinking numbly about another bout of hurrying up and waiting.

“There’s not much – all the systems are up and running at optimum...” remarked Billy.

“Maybe we should all take a break, relax… take a nap, check in with friends, family?” Aisha suggested, hoping that the normal behavior would keep them all from getting too keyed up waiting.

“I should check with the police again. Jason…” Trini commented, looking to her friend who had played a role in the task of staging Kat’s accident.

“That’s true. And if they finally have found her… we might need to go to the station and identify her?” Jason asked, looking to Trini and then Tanya who had been probably Kat’s closest friend on the team.

“I… I can help with that. You guys did the hard part,” Tanya said with a crack in her voice and Trini moved to stand beside her, taking her hand in hers.

“Okay everyone, let’s power down and take a break. We’ll meet back here in two hours, alright?” Tommy announced and everyone agreed readily, splitting up from where they stood and moving to take advantage of their brief reprieve.

-x-

With Tommy’s announcement Kimberly turned and watched him power down from his uniform and she sighed. She’d told him she was okay with Jason being out there to watch his back since she couldn’t but in reality she desperately wanted to be out there with him. She’d been on the receiving end of Misery’s claws and couldn’t help but worry that even with the armor upgrades Billy had fashioned that something could happen to him. Her own injuries as well as Rocky’s along with Kat’s death had put their new go-round as rangers into perspective for her… she didn’t have forever, none of them did. 

But they did have now.

Tommy watched as everyone left the room before he turned to regard Kimberly beside him. He felt his heart skip a beat as he saw the look on her face and he blinked unconsciously to be sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing; the love he saw in her eyes he’d seen before but there was a lot more heat there than he’d ever seen, even in their most hot and heavy period together in Angel Grove. 

She arched an eyebrow and indicated to the staircase with her head before heading for the bottom stair, her hand perched on the railing. He paused only for a moment before he was moving to join her and he followed her up the stairs and to the door of her room. 

Closing her eyes, Kim took a deep breath and turned the knob to open the door. Behind her she felt rather than saw Tommy trail behind her. When she heard the door close behind him she pulled at the Velcro strap of her sling, letting it slip to the floor before she turned and reached up to curl both hands around his neck as she pulled him down while leaning up to kiss him deeply.

Stunned for only a millisecond, Tommy grasped her waist to hold her to him, slanting his mouth over hers as he kissed her back. Her tongue swiped at his and he let them lash against one another as they shifted in the kiss, Kim wresting control from him once more as she pulled one hand from his neck to clutch at his shoulder.

Pulling away from his lips she kissed his jaw and then the side of his neck, trailing still more along his throat. Tommy let his head fall back as she reached his collarbone, her chin shifting his t-shirt collar aside slightly so she could press a kiss there before moving back to capture his lips once again in a heated lip lock.

The feel of her lips on his, her whole body – breasts, stomach, legs… pressed against him had his emotions and physical responses off the charts. He felt his cock swelling in his jeans and as she rubbed against him he groaned into her mouth, one hand moving up from her hip to climb along the side of her stomach and ribcage, the soft cloth of her shirt all that separated his hand from her skin. Tommy’s hand brushed up along her side, before he paused at the under slope of her breast, hesitating as he let his head take over for a moment… Wasn’t this too fast? Shouldn’t they date one another again, really be a couple in the real world before they went this far?

“Don’t stop…” she said on a soft gasp, her lips breaking from his as his fingers just barely grazed her breast.

“Kim?” he questioned, sure he had misunderstood; he’d expected her to back off any moment, not encourage him.

“Don’t stop. I don’t… I want you. I don’t want to stop… to regret anything… in case…” 

He felt his heart hiccup in his chest. She was afraid he might not come back…

“Our new armor should protect us…” he assured her softly, moving the hand that had been centimeters from cupping her breast to her cheek. “You don’t have to do this because…”

“I know…” she said seriously, her eyes now boring into his with a mix of love, lust, fear and worry all visible within. “Tommy, we got this second chance for a reason. I don’t… I don’t want to waste it. I don’t want to stand down there in the command center while you go out there knowing that I… that we didn’t take advantage of every moment we had…”

“Kim… I…”

“Are you saying you don’t want me?” she asked, her mouth curling into a small smirk as she slid her hand from his shoulder down his chest and past his belt to cup the spot where his cock distended his jeans and his hand clenched in the fabric of her pants on her hip where he’d held her to him.

“No… God, no… I just want us to do this for the right reasons,” he stated behind gritted teeth as he poured every last ounce of control he had into being the virtuous boyfriend, even if all he wanted to do right now was rip off all her clothes and get lost in her.

“And the fact that I love you and want you isn’t a good reason?” she asked, her voice dropping an octave, becoming more sultry as she pressed her hand more firmly against his erection, making him groan.

“I didn’t say that…” he admitted, her words beginning to weaken his resolve.

“Then make love to me Tommy. Let’s not waste another minute of the time we’ve gotten back.”

He let loose a low growl in the back of his throat before he relented, swiftly lowering his head to crush his lips to hers as he hauled her lower body flush against his, trapping her hand between them as he let himself grind his pelvis and erection into her. Kim moaned at his actions and gave his cock a quick squeeze before sliding her hand from between them to grip his ass briefly, encouraging his pelvis’ movement against her.

With that simple action Tommy found what little control he had shredded and he broke their embrace only long enough for him to yank at her shirt with both hands, rending the buttons down the front and exposing her breasts encased in a white lace bra along with her smooth stomach. 

“Sorry?” he murmured distractedly as his eyes raked across her exposed flesh before he let his hands cover her fabric covered breasts, feeling the hard points of her nipples against the palms of his hands.

“I have other shirts,” she answered in a lusty voice even as her hands roamed across his back, pulling at the fabric and indicating her desire for it to be gone.

Loathe though he was to pull his hands from her, he desperately wanted the skin to skin contact and broke from her grasp to reach down and catch the hem of his red t-shirt and ripped the cotton material up and over his head and tossed it unceremoniously to the floor before he caught her up again, mouth meeting hers in an urgent, hungry kiss.

“Bed?” she asked breathlessly into his ear as his mouth left hers and his lips and tongue wetly worked their way down her throat towards her chest.

“Yes…” he murmured against her skin, making her shiver before he urged her backwards towards the bed.

When her legs hit the bed she stopped, pulling him up short. She eased away from him, her eyes catching his as she shimmied her shoulders and let her shirt fall to the floor, leaving her clad only in her bra. His eyes broke from hers to rake across her skin, drinking in her body as he started for her once more. Then his gaze lighted on the four circular scars along her left shoulder and upper arm and froze his jaw clenching and his eyes slamming shut. 

Six inches to the right he thought as his breath caught in his chest… just that small distance and Misery would have impaled her heart and Kim would have been dead out there on the grass, just like Kat.

He felt her hands come up and capture his face between them, startling him back into the moment. Swallowing hard, he opened his eyes to see the understanding look on her face, barely supplanting the want that had been raging between them only moments before. 

“Don’t,” she admonished him, leaning forward to kiss him before puling back, her fingers leaving his face to trail along his neck and down his bare chest. “I’m here, and so are you. And right now all I want is to be with you.”

“I love you Kim,” he said softly, the tenderness in his voice expressing his affection for her even as he felt his cock jump as her small hands made their way to his belt buckle and proceeded to swiftly unlatch it and start on his jeans button and zipper.

Her sure hands on his crotch flipped the switch in his emotions once again, and the lust he’d let be suppressed by the fear he’d felt moments ago roared to life once more. His hands fell to her waist and pulled on the button at the top of her pants, popping it open and pulling her zipper down. He heard rather than saw her slide her feet out of her shoes.

She grumbled slightly as she fought with her socks and he smiled slightly. Stepping back he let her pull the offending articles of clothing off before she shucked her pants as well. While she did that he shoved his own jeans off and pulled loose the boots and socks he had on, leaving him in only a pair of dark boxers. Once he was done he looked up to find her standing before him in white lace bikini underwear and his mouth went dry.

While he watched she backed up and slid across the mattress, her arms and the cradle of her thighs left open in an obvious invitation.

He wasn’t stupid enough to hesitate in taking her up on her unspoken request.

Once their nearly naked bodies met, they both let loose near silent sighs. Had things been different they would have been here so many years ago. Luckily fate had given them a second chance and this time neither of them planned to let it go to waste.

Tommy let his hands make their way back to her breasts, still clad in the lace bra and caressed the supple mounds causing Kim to groan and arch into his grasp, her own hands clinging to his hips, fingers slipping under the waistband of his boxers. The light touch of her fingertips stoked the fire raging in him even further and he dropped his head to capture her mouth with his in a heated kiss.

“We still have too many clothes on,” he remarked with a rough voice as he broke from her lips, his palms tingling at the feel of her hard nipples against them through the fabric of her bra.

“I can fix that.”

Leaning forward Kim slid one hand behind her and with a flick of her wrist popped the hooks on her bra, releasing the garment and letting the straps slide ever so slightly off her shoulders.

Hooking his fingers into the cups he pulled the bra down and then tossed it carelessly aside as his eyes clung to her bared breasts. His hands moved to cover the exposed flesh, a tremor running through his body at the feel of her skin against the palms of his hands. Then he pulled one hand away so he could replace it with his mouth and tongue, causing her to gasp and arch into his chest.

“God… you are so beautiful…” he whispered against her flesh as he licked his way around her nipple before taking it between his lips once more.

“Tommy, please…” she moaned, her fingers digging into his shoulders as her hips rocked against his stomach, sending a jolt to his already aching cock.

Slow and steady wasn’t what they needed… the near death experience they’d had so recently on top of the years they’d suppressed their feelings for one another needed a more explosive coming together. Feeling her desperation to feel all of him allowed him to give in to his own passionate needs. He pulled away and slid his fingers in her underwear and tugged, feeling her hips rise so he could pull the scrap of fabric off and away. His eyes once again settled on her newly bared skin and he felt his heart stutter and then speed up at the way she lay before him - nude and anxious for him. 

Her hands reached up to settle on his hips, her fingers brushing the sensitive skin of his abs. She looked at him, then his boxers and then back up to his chocolate gaze. The heat radiating from her touch spoke of want and need and he reached down to shove the boxers down and off.

Once he was bare she slid a hand between then and grasped the steel-hard flesh of his cock in her soft, warm grip. She stroked her warm hand around his shaft a few times before he groaned and closed his eyes, his left hand convulsively gripping the bedclothes while his right held her bare hip. Her touch was killing him… but he needed to be inside her before he lost control, so he caught her hand in his and stilled it.

“I want to be inside you when I… when we come,” he said raggedly, his control long gone in the face of the incredibly sexy and beautiful woman whom he loved and who loved and wanted him below him. 

She nodded, her breath coming in gulps as she took in his words. Tommy leaned over her, his hips coming closer to her center as she directed his cock ever closer to her core. He felt the wet heat of her brush faintly against the tip of his cock as she lined him up against her center. His tongue slipped out to wet his suddenly dry lips as he fought the urge to pull away from her grasp and bury his head between her legs and partake of her hot, wet core. 

Yet her pleading eyes and tight grip around his manhood guiding him to her made him table the instinct… he planned to have years more to touch and taste and experience her in every way possible. For now they both needed this one simple act to assure themselves that they were there and together like this, finally.

“Now…” she whispered in a commanding yet anxious tone, her hand squeezing his intimate anatomy ever so slightly to get her point across before she let him go. 

Even though he desperately wanted to take his time, between her impassioned request, his own passion-filled lust for her and the heat from her center against the tip of his erection it was all too much to handle, and with a single, quick thrust he sheathed himself fully into her, causing her to call out his name and arch into him, her hands gripping his biceps at the sudden sensation.

He closed his eyes as he let out a groan and tried to center himself as the sensation of being buried in Kimberly threatened to undo him right then and there. It was overwhelming and glorious and everything he’d ever expected sex would be and never had been. And he’d yet to even make a single stroke out.

Below him Kim fought to catch her breath, the feeling of him embedded in her yielding flesh was mind blowing and had her needing more of him. She needed him to move more than she needed her next breath. Her hands gripped his shoulders as she forced her head upwards to capture his lips with hers, teasing his mouth open as she plunged her tongue within it, ratcheting up the heat between them even more. When he only kissed her back, his arms braced to either side of her she groaned and broke the kiss, needing to tell him what she wanted from him.

“Tommy, please… I need you to move, I need you.”

At her plea he felt his veins fill with liquid fire and eased his hips back, nearly leaving her before he stroked forward and sunk into her again as far as he could and felt her shiver as his cock hit home. And once he’d made that one simple stroke inside her velvetly wet heat he found his hips had taken over for his brain and he couldn’t stop; they pistoned of their own accord, his body falling into a heated rhythm as he plunged in and out of her slick passage.

The tension was building in Kimberly and she let herself moan with the feeling of the man she loved… had always loved thrusting into her, his pace increasing at her silent cues – her nails biting into his shoulder and back, her head shifting from side to side as her hair flowed around her and her eyes shut tightly at the sensations rushing through her. But she needed more, needed to come and make Tommy come with her.

She suddenly rolled her hips upward into his next down stroke, making Tommy moan, “Kim… God, beautiful I can’t even…”

Tommy groaned again as she ran her hands along his sides, her fingernails scraping lightly along his skin, the feeling sending up sparks through his body. He pushed into her again and again, increasing the tempo and force of his thrusts to accommodate her wishes and his burning desire knowing that it would push them even faster towards the edge that was fast approaching for them both.

“Love you… so much,” she said on a gasp following another deep thrust, fire dancing along her nerve endings.

“I love you… I never want to be without you ever,” he answered, his voice hoarse even as he struggled to take in a deep breath at the need he had to express his feelings on top of the how the way her body was responding beneath his made him light headed.

Tommy sped up his hips even more, bucking harder into her welcoming body as he pulled her hips up with one of his arms beneath them, causing his strokes to delve deeper and changing the angle to make her gasp. Beside her head his other hand held his weight, his fingers dug into the blanket as he reveled in the feel of being inside her.

Kim threw her head back and cried out his name as she felt her climax crest and then crash into her, the waves of it pulsing through her center and throughout every nerve ending in her body, her muscles clenching and releasing in spasms.

Feeling her coming around him made Tommy even more lightheaded than he’d already been and with one more powerful thrust into her undulating walls he barked out a yell, his own orgasm wringing his muscles and sinew into tight contractions. He shallowly thrust into his pleasure as his release spilled from him until he was spent, his head falling forward to rest against Kim’s before he slowly moved to kiss her. Neither of them could move right that moment and that was fine with them. Too soon the reality that waited outside their door would force them to leave this bed and one another’s embrace, and do what it took to save the world.

Even if right now they could care less.

-x-

Rocky had been feeling worn out from all the strain he was putting on his healing leg and stomach, so he’d let Aisha convince him to go lay down after Tommy had dismissed them all. When he came out of his room after about an hour or so of resting, he looked around to see the living area empty and only Aisha at the command center console.

“Aisha,” he called out as he moved towards her, and she waved him off, pointing to the couches.

He redirected his route and sat at one end of the shorter of the couches, stretching out his left leg to keep it from cramping up on him like it had once or twice since the injury. He watched intently as his friend of so many years and girlfriend for considerably less than that did something at the console and then turned to meet him in the living area. As she walked towards him he felt his heart constrict with affection and felt a wave of relief fill him as he thought about how she was going to be by his side, here in the command center when things with Blood went down with the active team.

“I’m glad you’re going to be here and not out there,” Rocky blurted out as Aisha moved to sit beside him on the sofa in the living area.

“Because you’re worried about them taking on Blood again or because you would be more worried if I was with them?” she asked, watching intently as Rocky’s hand brushed along the sealed cut on his stomach through his shirt unconsciously. 

“Both?” he replied with some hesitation as she laid a hand on his knee and then leaned in with a smile before she turned his head with her other hand so she could kiss him tenderly on the lips.

“I understand. I’m so glad you’re here with me too.”

He nodded before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him, letting her tuck her head under his chin as they curled into one another.

“Where’s everyone?” Rocky asked quietly, not wanting to disturb their comfortable position but still curious where everyone had gone to.

“Adam and Jason are in the hangar bay checking one last time on the zords. Billy is working on the final prep on the cloaking device in his room and Tanya and Trini went to the police department to deal with…Kat…”

Rocky tightened his hold on her as they took comfort in the fact that they both were alive and well. They’d allow themselves to fully mourn Katherine when this was all over. Once he pulled back, Rocky noted the omission of two of the team from Aisha’s ‘report’.

“And Tommy and Kim?”

Aisha eased her head out from under his chin and smirked at him before throwing a knowing glance upstairs before leveling her gaze back at her boyfriend as she said, “Where do you think…”

“But…” he started to stammer, shocked at Aisha’s implications.

“What, sending your man off to battle after having screwed him senseless… not a new phenomenon.” 

“Still, will he be able to walk afterwards?” he asked in a snarkish tone.

Aisha rolled her eyes at Rocky but refrained from hitting him like she would have normally. “Kim knows he has to be in working order. I think more than anything else they wanted the time alone before… which I can’t fault them for.”

Rocky nodded before pulling Aisha back into his chest, knowing that the next hour would be gone way too fast before their friends would have to put their lives in jeopardy as they went back out to save the world… again.


	15. Making a Stand

Sometime later Tommy and Kim left her room and made their way down the stairs, Kim’s hand held tightly in his as they prepared to join the others as they got ready for the mission. In the living area they found Aisha and Rocky sitting together on the couch and Tommy guided them to sit near them.

“How kind of you two to join us,” remarked Aisha with a sly smirk and a wink.

Kim glared at her friend while Tommy fought the blush that tried to stain his cheeks. It was one thing to have the team know he and Kim were back together; it was an entirely different thing to know they knew he’d just had sex with her.

“Where’s everyone? I thought…” Kim started, noting the missing members of the team.

“Trini called from the police station. She and Tanya were just leaving to get back. I guess it took longer than they expected.”

They heard a mechanical sound and turned as they recognized the noise of the elevator doors opening, watching as Adam and Jason exited.

“Zords are all on line and good to go,” announced Jason with a tight grin.

“Are we really figuring on using those on Earth?” Rocky questioned, genuinely curious.

“I don’t know, but if we do defeat Blood at White Sands, we will need to make sure his ship in space either leaves or is destroyed, so we might need to take the Photon Megazord out there,” noted Tommy.

“Or the Space team’s ship DECA will need to,” added Adam.

“That’s assuming they ever get here,” grumbled Aisha under her breath, but audible enough for everyone to hear her.

“We know they’re on their way. They weren’t even in the solar system when they contacted us, were they?” Kim remarked.

“Just outside it,” interjected Billy as he walked in and joined the conversation.

“So, do we have a working cloaking device?” Tommy asked the former blue ranger worriedly.

“Yes. It will hide all traces of the Photon team on the ground while engaged. As soon as you shut it off you’ll show up on their sensors and in plain sight.”

“Good thing we have you around to make sure they don’t see us in any way possible,” Tommy replied, resting an appreciative hand on Billy’s shoulder.

Just then Tanya and Trini arrived and everyone directed their attention to them. Jason, Billy and Kim immediately went to greet them, Aisha, Rocky and Tommy trailing them slightly. Kim hugged Trini and Tanya in turn before Jason spoke up.

“You guys okay?” he asked after Kim had pulled away from both women.

“Been better. They finally traced my registration for the car,” Trini related and then added, “They’d already called Kat’s parents…”

Everyone winced at the announcement. They’d hoped that the team could break the news to them…

“Since they’re still in Australia, they’re going to be a while before they get here,” Tanya offered with a frown.

“Do they know the crash was staged?” asked Billy, concerned.

“No. They had all the evidence they needed to assume the crash killed Kat,” Trini stated, looking to Jason and Billy. “They were actually very kind and concerned about my car and my friend.”

Everyone let out sighs of relief. There had been a general atmosphere of anxiety that Trini could be implicated in Kat’s “accident” and if that had been the case how they could get her out of the situation. Luckily everything had worked out and the police were accepting of the accident as the cause of death without further investigation.

“What time is it? We sort of lost track…” asked Kim, fighting a blush as Aisha and Rocky pointedly gave her and Tommy knowing looks.

“The deadline should be up any minute. Once Blood opens communications we’ll…” Billy started to explain in detail before the alarm that was to announce Blood’s contact with Earth began to sound.

“We’ve got a signal!” he yelled as he rushed to the command center, the others following as best they could in Rocky’s case.

Tapping into the transmission, Billy was able to broadcast it for everyone; it was what they were expecting.

“Earth leaders… you have been given the time to choose your fate. Will you bow to me or watch your world perish in flame?”

Having opened a two-way communications channel, the President of the UN Security Council was finally able to speak to Emperor Blood… and he knew exactly what he needed to say.

“We will submit to your rule, provided you hold to your original terms,” he stated authoritatively. “We wish a formal surrender at one of our military instillations to sign the agreement. The coordinates of the rendezvous location are 32 degrees 33′47″N by 106 degrees 34′12″W. We will be waiting for you within the hour.”

“I will accept this surrender.”

The moment the communication disconnected everyone looked around and Tommy felt himself freeze in place. Blood was going to come and walk into the trap. And if everything worked exactly right, he’d be dead and Earth would be saved. If not…

“Looks like we’re on,” announced Jason, turning to Tommy, watching the stunned look on his friend’s face. 

His words snapped Tommy back to the moment and he turned to regard his fellow rangers and friends. This was their one chance to finish Blood once and for all. If they made any mistake, they could doom the Earth and everyone on the planet.

No pressure, thought Tommy with a soft sigh.

He then turned and reached his hand out to Jason, who quickly took it, the handshake solidifying their friendship and team dynamic… Tommy led and Jason backed him up, just like he had ever since the white ranger had joined them so many years ago.

“Okay, let’s do this thing,” Tommy said, the leadership in his tone of voice spurring them all into movement.

At Tommy’s words the different members of the team began to break into smaller groups before the uniformed team headed to the transport pad to leave for White Sands.

Billy had reached out and caught Trini’s arm as the yellow ranger started to move to the transport pad, causing her to turn, her face curious at the interruption.

“Trini… be careful…” Billy told her quietly as he handed her a wrist watch like item that was actually the cloaking device.

She took the device from him as she gave him a brilliant smile and then moved to press a soft kiss to his cheek making his eyes widen before she replied, “Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”

Rocky and Aisha stood with Adam and Tanya; Aisha hugging Adam and then Tanya before Rocky and Adam did the guy hug.

“You guys be safe out there,” Aisha said, reaching over to catch Rocky around the waist and pull herself into his side.

“We’ll keep an eye out for one another.” Adam stated, looking to Tanya, acknowledging her nod.

“You’d better,” insisted Rocky. “I need my best friend and his former girl friend back in one piece.”

Adam smiled and socked Rocky lightly in the arm before he and Tanya started for the transport pad.

While the others were visiting and offering their words of luck and support Tommy, Kim and Jason had stood together still, Kimberly giving Jason a hard hug saying, “take care out there.”

“I will. And I promise to get him back to you in one piece Kim…” Jason said with a smile as he hugged her back.

When Kim broke away from Jason she gravitated towards Tommy. Tommy turned his eyes to his friend and he realized he was a third wheel in that moment. Stepping away he left the two lovers alone. Once Jason had departed, Kim launched herself into Tommy’s embrace, clinging to him as he let his nose settle into the fragrance of her hair.

“Tommy… be careful,” she whispered against his chest, her arms holding him to her tightly.

“I will beautiful…” 

“I love you.”

“Love you too. We’ll be back soon,” he promised before pulling away only to lean down and softly kiss her.

“Time to go,” stated Billy.

Tommy reluctantly eased from Kimberly’s embrace and walked to join the others. Then there was a chorus of ranger power up call outs and the uniformed team stood before them, suited once again in their modified metallic sheen armor, ready to face Blood and his forces.

As one the five Photon Rangers stepped to the transport plates before Billy flipped the switches to send them to spring the waiting trap.

-x-

The Photon Rangers appeared moments later in what was nearly barren as desert. All around the flats were mountains, and the location that had been chosen was near the post HQ which was shielded from civilization by a mountain range. It left them few places to hide but lots of open space to do battle.

“Not a lot of cover,” complained Jason sullenly.

“Like we ever had much in Angel Grove?” remarked Trini, remembering days of being ambushed at the park with no real cover or retreat options.

“Rarely,” replied Tanya, acknowledging their previous and current situation.

“Good thing the cloaking device will hide us on the sensors and by sight,” Adam offered simply as he scanned the area, looking for what advantages they did have.

“Well knowing what kind of environment we were coming into was the deciding factor in needing the cloaking device,” Tommy reminded them, having expected a desolate location where a battle wouldn’t damage much of anything. 

Approximately 200 yards from their arrival spot the team saw the gathering military presence. There had to be maybe two dozen military personnel and half a dozen people in civilian dress.

“Looks like they’re getting set up. Let’s go and finalize the plan,” Tommy announced before starting towards the group.

As the rangers came into view, several soldiers along the perimeter of the area raised their weapons. Tommy raised his hands to demonstrate he wasn’t a threat and the sentries realized they were pointing guns at the power rangers and lowered their weapons.

“The general is waiting for you,” stated one sergeant and Tommy followed him through the rush of people setting up the site before they stopped before a makeshift pavilion. Before them there were a few military men and two civilians deep in conversation. 

“Sir, the rangers…” stated the sergeant to the group before them, prompting one of the uniformed men to turn.

“Photon Rangers,” said the one star general who regarded them seriously, his eyes looking tired as he had probably been asked to formulate this plan in less than what he felt was adequate time.

“General,” Tommy replied, reaching out a gloved hand to the older man who took it, shaking it briefly.

“Red Ranger… the US Secretary of Defense will be on site to ‘authenticate’ the proceedings.”

“But…” Tommy began, his voice registering his concern at the man’s presence at what could be a very dangerous and bloody battle site.

“The world leaders recognized the need of a ‘world leader’ figure to be here to allow Emperor Blood to believe in your trap.”

“I understand and appreciate that general. Our only concern…”

“We’re not here to get in your way. My men will be responsible for getting him and all our people out of harms way and protecting ourselves as well as any civilians past the mountains.”

At the general’s words Tommy allowed himself to relax a bit. He’d been concerned that they’d have to split their attention more than planned to protect the cabinet member and his people. But as long as the general and his soldiers were guaranteeing the safety of their own it was one less thing to have to account for. 

“That’s fine. We don’t want you to have to engage any of Blood’s people unless absolutely necessary,” Tommy stated simply, wanting to impress on the general how much he didn’t want his people involved in the chaos that was going to be a fight with Blood’s forces.

“Acknowledged. And Red Ranger… I feel obligated to tell you that if for any reason your team cannot stop Emperor Blood, the President of the United States has the go ahead to destroy this site by nuclear missile,” informed the general solemnly.

Behind their helmets the rangers all reacted visibly in some way to the news. Tommy had feared the world governments would take the matter into their own hands, but the idea of using nuclear warheads within the US Borders…

“That is if we fall,” Tommy stated very clearly, looking from the general to where the Secretary of Defense was now joining their group, watching the Photon Ranger’s leader intently. “Now there may be a point where we have to chase Blood off-planet, but nothing short of every single ranger before you falling in battle is going to keep us from making sure that the President doesn’t have to use that power. You have my word on that.”

“Thank you,” offered the Secretary of State, thrusting out his hand to Tommy and waited until the red ranger shook it before he turned to the general. “I’ll go get ready.”

“Yes sir,” said the general, saluting the man as he walked away before he turned back to the power rangers before him. “Rangers. Best of luck to you.”

Then he saluted the five rangers and turned back to the military personnel and civilians continuing their tasks around the staging area.

“Everyone!” roared the general, prompting everyone to stop; the soldiers to come to attention. “The power rangers are here and it is time to prepare for the trap. Take your positions and prepare for evacuation as soon as the rangers engage the enemy.”

There was a refrain of “yes sir’s” across the area before everyone hurried to their pre-assigned places.

“Rangers, it’s all yours.”

“Thank you sir. We’ll be here, invisible to everyone in front of the dais for the ‘ceremony’. Once Blood arrives and is in our sights we’ll take him, rest assured.”

Nodding the general turned and went to join the Secretary of Defense at the makeshift signing table on the dais.

Tommy motioned his team to line up in front of the raised structure, right in the line of sight for Blood’s expected arrival point. They’d make a barricade of weapons and will between the evil that would be before them and the men and women they’d sworn to protect behind them.

Once they were aligned along the raised dais, Tommy taking the center point, Trini to one side of him, Jason to the other and Adam beside Trini and Tanya beside Jason there was nothing left to really do but be sure that the military was good to go. Tommy turned and saw that the Secretary of Defense, the general and several other people were in position. At other points soldiers stood at attention, simply waiting for the moment they’d be called to defend their colleagues.

It was show time.

“Time for the cloak.”

At Tommy’s request Trini turned on the ranger’s cloaking device, allowing them to hide in plain sight, their forms being obscured from view as well as masking their energy signatures. The team simply disappeared from view, making those members of the military who could see where they’d been gape briefly in surprise.

The rangers stood silently, impatiently waiting for the moment when their adversary would arrive.

Less than twenty minutes later there was a flash of light. As it dissipated the soldiers and civilians awaiting Emperor Blood’s arrival were finally greeted with the dark conqueror’s appearance.

Every piece of footage that Billy had shown them hadn’t really prepared them for what they saw. Blood was imposing, more so than any other adversary they’d gone up against before. He was maybe six foot nine and the obviously heavy steely armor covering him from head to foot would be tough to crack. His blazing red eyes peered from the slit in his crowned helm and Tommy fought the urge to swallow convulsively as he worried if the evil before him could actually see them as he seemed to start right at them, even with the cloaking device. 

Blood started to take a step forward, his dark red cloak swirling in the desert wind and Tommy could see the hilt of his sword behind his head, identifying the back sheath it was being carried in.

On either side of Blood were Misery and Pain. The emotions engulfing the rangers as they watched the two people responsible for their friends, team mates and lovers’ injuries and Kat’s death were varied and raw within them. But those feelings had to take a back seat to the focus they needed to complete their mission and defeat Blood and his army. They might be able to use that pain and anger but they couldn’t let it control them… too much weighed in the balance.

Tommy clenched his hands into fists as he watched Blood, Misery, Pain and maybe two dozen Banes several yard behind them. Taking a deep breath he signaled to the others to be ready and reached for his EMP gun. Holding it at the ready he waited until Blood was close enough to spring the trap.

“I am here to accept your surrender,” announced Blood in a booming voice.

Without giving the Secretary of State a moment to even consider changing his mind at the sight of Blood, Tommy quickly gave Trini a sharp cutting signal across his throat, indicating he wanted her to shut down the controls for the cloak; she did so rapidly, making them instantly visible. For everyone else it was as if the five rangers suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, causing Blood, Misery and Pain to take several startled steps back from their positions before the makeshift pavilion.

“I warned your people Blood…” Tommy stated with a near growl, “you didn’t heed my words, and now you’ll pay the price.”

With that Tommy opened fire directly on Blood, his EMP blaster causing sparks to flare up from Blood’s dark armor. Trini and Adam targeted Misery while Jason and Tanya focused their fire on Pain. The surprise of their appearance and attack had given them the momentary advantage as it allowed them to push Blood, Misery and Pain back, but the Banes had now acknowledged the attack and were moving to interpose themselves between the Photon Rangers and their leaders.

At the ranger’s appearance and initial attack on Blood and his people, the general and his soldiers hurriedly evacuated the Secretary of Defense off the pavilion. With the forces of Blood otherwise distracted with the Photon Rangers it was a relatively easy task to move all their personnel across the hard sand to the defendable location of the post HQ. It had already been prepared with tanks and other heavy equipment to allow it to be the fortified location where they could hold out while the rangers engaged the enemy. 

Once inside the civilians were taken to the core bunker where they could be defended if the rangers fell and Blood’s people turned towards them. The general and a few of his staff watched the battle from their more remote position, waiting to see which would happen: if the Photon Rangers would be victorious or Blood would cause the deaths of not only the rangers but potentially everyone on the planet.

Out on the white sands Trini kept firing at the Banes rushing to block their access to their leaders, letting Adam direct his aim at Misery and Pain in alternating cycles, keeping them from joining the fray. Beside her she felt Jason and Tanya move closer, focusing their firepower at the line to try and get it to shatter so they could start taking on the generals behind its protection. When one fell another Bane moved to take their place… but they were falling.

For the rangers, while the Banes fired at them, the hits weren’t causing the damage they had in the past; the energy just seemed to be absorbed by the refined armor and the team simply kept blasting away at the line of foot soldiers surrounding Blood and his generals. As more Banes fell, Tommy wanted to increase the pressure on them and get to the main target – Blood.

“Center,” Tommy yelled, and everyone turned to focus their firepower on the Banes directly between them and Blood.

With the sudden burst of five points of fire on the group of Banes in the middle of the column blocking Blood from the rangers, it didn’t take long until there was a gap in the line and Tommy took advantage of it. Tommy bolted through the break, bypassing Misery and Pain to go straight for Blood, his gun now traded for his photon blade. As Tommy charged Blood the others fired around him, keeping his path clear. 

Blood reached behind him to pull his own sword as the red ranger barreled down at him. The dark metal of the weapon was curved and hooked in places, making the mostly straight yet wide blade a fearsome thing to look at. It didn’t intimidate Tommy in the slightest… he’d wielded just as wicked looking blades in his time, and it wasn’t the look of the blade that meant anything, it was how you used it.

“You should never have come here,” snarled Tommy as he faced off with his adversary, his blade’s tip pointed towards Blood’s chest plate.

“Better beings have fallen before me,” Blood rasped back as he unexpectedly swung his heavy sword at the red ranger with surprising speed.

“You really have no idea,” bit back Tommy as he first blocked the swing and then twisted his grip on the lighter but more agile sword and flipped it up and across the armor of Blood, the photons of the blade slicing a small line shallowly into the armor, making Blood nearly jump back. “You made me mad… and now, I have no desire to see you retreat. I want to see you dead.”

Tommy then took the offensive, swinging with his blade to force Blood to defend himself. Behind him he could hear the sounds of blaster fire and forced himself to disconnect from the situation. He had to keep his focus on Blood and not get distracted; he trusted Jason and the others to keep the Banes as well as Misery and Pain off his back.

The rangers kept up their offensive, firing at everything and anyone in their sights. Pain had begun to fire his own blaster arm but the team was able to continue to benefit from their new armor. And the Banes numbers were starting to dwindle. Soon the rangers would be able to engage the generals…

The remaining Banes seemed to be considering what to do next – take on the rangers in front of them that were firing on them and their generals of break off and defend Emperor Blood. Before anyone could make a move there were two sudden flashes of light that lit up sections of the battlefield. As everyone was forced to shield their eyes at the blinding lights, it created a temporary pause to the battle.

As the light dissipated both sides looked to see who or what had arrived on the desert floor.

The rangers looked at one of the two landing sites and felt their hearts fall. Blood’s people had sent reinforcements; another two dozen Banes stood there in formation, blasters at the ready. They then swung their gaze to where the other flash had appeared with concern that more Banes would be there, ready to crush them between the fresh troops.

Instead they found a welcome surprise.

The Space team stood there, their own blasters raised and pointed towards the newly arrived Banes less than fifty yards away.

“Did someone call for the Calvary?” called out TJ and behind his helmet Tommy couldn’t suppress the wicked smile that graced his face as he turned back towards Blood, his sword now tightly gripped in his hands, ready to strike.

“Ready to die?”


	16. Last Man Standing

Blood looked back to the red uniformed ranger that stood before him, blade bared at him. He was willing to admit that perhaps he had misjudged the situation. Earth was supposed to be a simple target; the civilization was not advanced enough to have weapons to really hurt his ship and the protectors that had been there for years had been reported as having left.

Instead he’d arrived with his advance team to find a ranger team very much in place and very determined in defeating him.

But he wasn’t backing down.

“Bring as many rangers as you like red ranger,” Blood stated darkly, “I will bury them and you before I burn your world and enslave your people.”

“Let’s go then.”

Tommy leapt forward, his sword slicing across the space Blood had just been in, his armored foe having staggered back, unprepared for the ferocity of the red ranger’s blow and just escaping its fury. There was a quick parry and then the two engaged in a fierce fight, swords crashing together with the force of not only their physical strength but their convictions.

And no matter what Blood had been before, Tommy was fighting for his planet, his friends and family and the woman he loved. That kind of motivation made Blood’s desire to conquer and destroy pale in comparison.

“I guess you’re realizing I wasn’t making idle threats,” Tommy remarked as he sidestepped a thrust of Blood’s sword and twisted to slice across the back of his opponent, cutting through not only the blood red cape but carving a line through the dark metal shielding Blood’s body.

“The battle is far from won ranger,” spat Blood as he glared at the red ranger before him and stepped on his severed cape in his advance on the ranger leader before him.

While Tommy and Blood squared off, the Space Rangers engaged the new platoon of Banes that had arrived when they had along with the remainder of the first group that had been whittled down by the Photon Ranger team.

Cassie fired at the Banes that were splitting up, working with Andros to shield Tommy. Ashley, Carlos and TJ had waded into the fight directly, firing at the Banes trying to flank the Photon Rangers. They knew their job was backup and they were going to do everything they could to make sure that the team didn’t take any more casualties.

Yards from the other fighting the other four Photon Rangers had paired up to take on the two generals, the ones that had been responsible for all the death and injury their team had taken in their defense of Earth. Kim, Rocky and Kat would be avenged…

Trini and Jason flanked Pain, the larger armored foe leveling both weapons at them. They pinned the larger hulking creature between them, hoping to force him to split his attentions and allow one or the other a chance to bring him down.

“You killed our friend,” Trini spat behind her helmet as she raised her sword menacingly.

“Yellow ranger,” Pain hissed, then a laugh replaced his tone, “I killed you once, shall I do so again?”

“I don’t think so,” announced Jason as he and Trini moved around Pain, making him swivel and jerk his focus between the two rangers.

Suddenly Jason used his sword to slice at the gun attachment of Pain’s left hand, causing sparks to fly. When Pain circled to defend himself Trini swung her sword and it clashed with Pain’s right sword arm. The two see sawed back attacks until after a third hit by Trini’s sword Pain’s weapon cracked, the sword breaking halfway along its length, causing the massive armored general to shout in outrage.

Then Jason struck again, slicing the end of the barrel of the blaster arm and the damage caused the weapon to start emitting some kind of glowing matter, and suddenly there was fear visible in the glowing red of Pain’s eyes.

With a huge sound and blast of orange flame the energy that powered Pain’s weapon discharged like a fireball.

The explosion sent both Trini and Jason to the ground, and as they got up they found Pain’s armor twisted and charred by whatever energy he’d been harnessing for his gun. The damage to the weapon that had killed Kat had in the end killed him.

Poetic justice, Jason thought darkly.

As Blood and Tommy continued to engage one another, Misery had found herself engaged by the pink and black rangers. Tanya and Adam had stayed together, making sure to heed Aisha’s request. Adam still recalled watching Rocky get attacked from behind by the raven cloaked woman before him.

“You have a lot to pay for,” Adam growled.

“You and your paltry weapons are no match for the emperor’s forces,” Misery replied with a laugh, her claws rippling as she flexed the ‘hand’ that they graced.

“That might be the case, but you are alone right now,” pointed out Tanya as she fired her gun at the villainess, making Misery turn and use her claws as a shield even as Adam raced forward, his sword tip leading and slid the weapon straight through the distracted Misery’s shoulder, causing the woman to scream.

“That was for Kim and Rocky,” remarked Adam under his breath. 

Once her clawed hand went to cover the wound, so much a mirror of when she’d stabbed Kim, both Tanya and Adam took the opportunity presented them; Adam fired several shots, confusing Misery and before she could attack he spun away leaving Tanya a clean shot. She rushed in and fired nearly point blank into Misery’s chest, sending the general to the ground, her eyes falling shut as she breathed her last.

The battlefield was now filled with bodies; Misery laid on the white sand with a growing puddle of dark color draining from her while yards away Pain’s charred form spread across the ground with the blast radius imprinted into the silicon of the granules beneath their feet. The Banes that had been defending their emperor and his generals had all fallen to the Space team and now there was only one battle still left raging…

Blood suddenly looked around the battlefield, realizing his support had fallen. Retreat to his ship where he could launch an all out attack on the planet was necessary now. Even if that meant he lost the resources and slaves the planet would provide, he no longer cared… he simply wanted to destroy these rangers.

There was a sudden flash of light as Blood retreated, leaving the broken bodies of Misery and Pain behind without a backwards glance. The Photon and Space teams looked at one another, realizing that with Blood on the run they needed to move quickly.

“We need to go after him,” Tommy yelled, looking to his team.

“Should we leave them?” asked Tanya as she looked down at the body of Misery and the charred form of Pain. 

“We don’t have time to worry about them,” barked Jason as he hurriedly moved to Tommy’s side.

“You figure he’s running?” asked Tanya hopefully.

“No… he’s going back to his ship to finish us,” Tommy said knowingly. “Andros, TJ… can you get back to DECA and help us follow them?”

“We’re already gone,” replied Andros as he and the other Space Rangers disappeared in a flash.

“Billy, we need the zords,” Tommy announced through his comm. system and waited back for the reply.

\- x -

In the command center the others had been watching and waiting and silently asking for whomever or whatever was out there to keep their friends safe. As the battle had begun to escalate there had been worried frowns and Aisha had gripped both Kim and Rocky’s hands briefly at points to reassure them both.

They had faith in their team mates in the field… they knew what they could do and they knew what was at stake…

“Come on guys,” Zack had said under his breath as it looked like things were beginning to go south, hoping that the team in the field would be able to break past the Banes protecting Blood and the generals.

Kim watched in pained fascination as Tommy directly engaged Blood, his voice cold as he threatened the intergalactic fiend. Trepidation filled her veins as she watched and listened, her heart in her throat as she trusted in Tommy’s abilities as well as those of the rest of the team to finish this quickly and come back in one piece.

Jason, Trini, Adam and Tanya were holding their own against over 2 to 1 odds while keeping the Banes from attacking Tommy. 

Suddenly things changed with a white light that lit up the desert sands, blinding them all from what was going on. Everyone raised their hands to block the light or shut their eyes in reflex at the intensity of the flare.

“Oh no,” Aisha murmured when she was finally able to see when the first of the two flashes of light that had filled the battlefield cleared to show Blood’s reinforcements.

Then as the second flash faded there had been a spontaneous cheer from everyone in the command center.

“Alright, finally!” Zack had yelled aloud, turning to high five Rocky.

“Better late than never,” Billy stated.

With the arrival of the Space Rangers things immediately took a turn for the better as the additional team engaged the Banes allowing the Photon team to pick their targets. They again watched, now with more hope than before as Tommy and Blood fought one on one. Trini and Jason fought together against Pain while Adam and Tanya faced Misery. 

There was a collective gasp when Pain exploded into so much scrap metal, and moments later when Tanya killed Misery there was stunned silence. 

The tide had finally turned.

At Tommy’s announcement that Blood was running, and knowing that Misery, Pain and the other Banes were down for good they knew that it was only a matter of time now. Then Tommy was calling for the zords and Billy hurriedly moved to activate the doorway to the hangar bay and then flipped the switches to send them remotely to the uniformed team.

“On their way!” Billy called out across the communications channel once the last switch was thrown.

As the zords left the hangar below on auto pilot on their way to the rangers, those who had watched and listened to the battle turned to one another as they waited to see if the team could finally bring an end to Blood by chasing him into space.

But even that had paled in comparison to the feelings of justice that a few of the team had felt at seeing Misery and Pain go down at the hands of their team mates.

“I can’t believe they took down Misery and Pain,” Kim whispered, her eyes flicking to Rocky, who reached over and caught her right hand in his.

“They had a lot to pay for.”

“Well now they have to stop Blood,” Aisha replied, looking from her friend to her boyfriend, glad once again to have them both in one piece.

That prospect was daunting and frightening. Hopefully the firepower the Photon Megazord had at its disposal along with whatever weapons the Space Rangers had on their ship were enough to bring down Blood’s warship and keep him from escaping. Because they now all knew that Tommy had been right… without finishing Blood off there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t come back, more powerful than before, now that he’d seen what the Photon Ranger team could do and simply annihilate the planet.

This was the end game…

\- x -

One the team had gotten into the zords they’d formed up into the Photon Megazord and then they were flying through the atmosphere, Tommy pushing the throttle as hard as it could go. They had no idea of how much time they had until Blood escaped or did something worse… attacked. Once they were in the black star filled confines of space they all felt the slight change in the cabin of the megazord and Tommy breathed in deeply, trusting in Billy’s craftsmanship that the ship could handle everything that they’d have to put it through to finish Blood for good.

“Status?”

“Baseline pressure at sixty percent,” stated Trini at the engine control, answering Tommy’s general systems questions of the team.

“All power is normal for weapons,” Jason noted from his spot at the firing controls.

“Radar has DECA a hundred miles out, Blood’s ship is just beside the moon… 200 miles…” announced Adam.

Quickly Tanya pulled up a tighter version of what Adam was referencing, allowing them to see DECA off to their right and near the moon the image of Blood’s command ship. The ship seemed to be orbiting the moon and then it almost looked as if it stopped and then hovered in place as they watched. 

The team in the megazord looked at the ship intently, wondering if perhaps Blood was attempting to run. Then the large craft began to move again.

“Wait, it’s changed its trajectory!” exclaimed Adam from his spot at the radar screen.

The team stared out the cockpit of the Megazord and saw that Blood command ship was now moving through space towards Earth. His direct path towards the planet not only indicated his plan to attack, but it meant that unless they stopped Blood now, before he could fire any possible weapons on the ship that Earth could still end up either damaged or even worse, destroyed.

“DECA is hailing us,” Tanya called out from the comm. station.

“Channel them in,” Tommy replied quickly, his mind running through various scenarios.

“Tommy, Blood’s ship is targeting the planet. We read massive energy spikes all along the weapons arrays. I don’t think he’s leaving without a farewell,” Andros announced worriedly.

Five sets of eyes in the Photon Megazord widened even as the others still on Earth in the command center listened in with worry. With the kind of firepower Blood looked to have, there wasn’t anything in any Earth based military arsenal that could bring down the ship, let alone stop it. The only things between Earth and Blood were the two ranger ships currently in space.

“We can’t let them discharge those weapons…” Trini said quickly.

“What do we have to throw at them?” asked Tommy, looking to Jason for a suggestion.

“EMP might shut them down,” offered the Jason from his seat.

“Start charging. Andros,” Tommy called on the open comm.

“Yeah?”

“Whatever weapons you have, start strafing Blood’s ship. We need him to slow down until we can put him down.”

“Affirmative. Starting our attack vector now.”

DECA flashed past them, the smaller ship streaking past Blood’s much larger carrier, strafing it with laser fire and causing small bursts of light and debris. However the punctures into the hull of the ship and whatever damage was being done didn’t seem to be slowing the ship down at all. Instead it attempted to launch counter measures that Andros and the Space team were rushing to outrun.

“Tommy, EMP is 100% charged. Ready to fire on your mark.”

“Andros, clear out…we’re firing and you don’t want to get caught in the pulse.”

At that DECA twisted in flight and sped off in the opposite direction even as Jason engaged the EMP pulse, sending the electronic disrupting waves out into space.

“Now Jase!”

The EMP weapon fired, sending out a near visible wave of electro magnetic energy, striking the ship heading towards Earth. Yet while Blood’s ship slowed at the EMP pulse that should have taken out a city the size of Detroit, it didn’t stop. Both teams watched as the ship paused briefly and then continued its course.

“Tommy, Blood’s ship is still moving towards Earth,” Adam said, the concern obvious in his tone.

Four helmets turned to Tommy, looking to him for his decision. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly, knowing what they needed to do…

“I’m putting us between him and Earth. If everything we have isn’t enough to bring him down, we’ll make sure he has to go through us to get there.”

With that Tommy throttled the megazord into high gear, straining the metal as he pushed it to intercept and block Blood’s path. The others realized that if the weapons wouldn’t work that Tommy would let Blood’s ship ram them, and there wasn’t anyone on board that didn’t agree with that. 

Within minutes Tommy had maneuvered the megazord between Earth and Blood’s ship. Lining up facing the ship they were ready to defend their home however they had to…

“Fire everything we have…” Tommy called out, his hands gripping the controls tightly to keep them stable.

Jason engaged every weapons system that Billy had built into the zords, and then started flipping switches. A barrage of photon blasts and other more conventional weapons launched from the megazord striking the ship barreling towards them. The watched as they struck, the photon blasts nearly cutting a long line through the center of the ship. 

It still was coming at them even as they could see the spacecraft was faltering…

“Hold on!”

Suddenly the Photon Megazord was engulfed in a spray of bright light and metal debris as Blood’s ship was ravaged by the pressure of space as the damage done by the megazord’s weapons forced the vessel to collapse and implode. As the light and metal dissipated the Photon Megazord remained in the vacuum as Blood and his ship were simply… gone.

They had won.


	17. Never Again

Tommy had turned the Photon Megazord back towards Earth as soon as the debris cleared and the way home was free of any obstacles, including any still flying parts of Blood’s destroyed ship. The Megazord’s shields could probably handle any collisions beyond the explosion they’d absorbed but he wasn’t willing to risk it if he didn’t have to.

It was an easy thing to pass through Earth’s atmosphere and Adam checked the radar to try and avoid as much detection as possible, Tanya having validated their trajectory and fed it into the piloting system for Tommy. 

What seemed like hours later the Megazord plowed into the water of San Francisco Bay and headed to the hangar. Before they entered Tommy initiated the sequence to break the Megazord back to their individual zords, and they all piloted in their separate zords to their spots in the hangar.

Once the zords were docked the hangar re-pressurized, pushing out the sea water from the space. Oxygen meters alerted them all when the process was complete and they all started to climb out of their respective zords, their feet finally touching down on the still slightly damp concrete and metal flooring.

Greeting one another once again, Tommy lead them to the elevator, where they climbed in and stood, hands moving to remove helmets as their eyes darted around, gauging one another’s expressions as the adrenaline high started to wane. The elevator rose to the warehouse level and the doors opened, revealing the rest of the team who were cheering and applauding their return. Before they could get more than a few feet from the elevator they found themselves converged on, the former pink ranger leading the charge.

“Tommy!” 

His helmet fell from his grasp as Tommy instinctively let go of it as Kim launched herself at him, moving to catch her; hands reaching out as her lithe body pressed into his, her arms wrapping around his neck, oblivious of his helmet crashing to the floor.

“See, I told you I’d be okay,” he replied, his arms wrapping her tightly to him as he relished the fact that she was safe; that everyone was safe once more.

“Of course… I never expected anything less.”

Finally she released her near death grip on him, her eyes filled with more emotions than Tommy could easily make out and identify. Following everything they’d been through and now with Blood gone, they’d need to finally sit down and discuss what would come next.

“I promised to bring him back in one piece and I don’t break promises,” interrupted Jason once Kim had reluctantly broken her embrace with Tommy and she moved to hug him, letting Tommy greet the others as her attention was momentarily diverted with Jason.

“Good to see you all,” commented Billy as he happily watched the intact uniformed team move further into the room.

Tommy hugged Aisha and Tanya and moved on to give a bro-hug to Rocky and Billy before moving aside as Trini came up behind him, eyes set on Billy.

“Glad to be seen,” answered Trini, her helmet tucked under her arm as she approached Billy, the smile on her face directed solely at him, making him finger his shirt collar nervously.

With little fanfare she closed the distance and instead of giving him another kiss on the cheek she reached up and laid her gloved hand on his cheek and pressed a kiss directly on his lips. Billy’s eyes fell closed at the soft contact of her lips on his and once the initial shock was over he caught her upper arms in his grip and gently kissed her back. 

In what seemed like the briefest of minutes they broke apart, Billy smiling and blushing even as Trini drew her hand away and her head swung around to fin the others staring. The sudden change in their relationship had surprised the group, but in reality, it probably had been a long time coming.

“You guys did great,” Aisha stated, breaking the sudden tension as she and Rocky moved to greet Adam and Tanya.

“All in a day’s work for a ranger,” remarked Adam with a little grin even as Aisha gripped him tight in a hug.

“Thanks for finishing them all off,” said Rocky, the timbre of his voice reflecting his lingering anger at Pain and Misery as he gripped Adam’s hand before drawing him in for a man hug.

“Sorta had to,” declared Trini as she moved to join in on the growing group hug going on.

“Well, with Blood’s ship destroyed no one is going back to claim Blood’s empire, which should effectively destroy it,” suggested Billy as he followed her, his hand drifting to land on her lower back once she stepped back from getting a hug from Aisha.

“Are we sure?” questioned Tanya, legitimately curious even as she turned from hugging Kim.

“I believe so. There should have been no high ranking members of Blood’s inner circle left behind. Once word of his destruction makes its way back to his fleet it will most likely fall apart.”

Everyone was elated at that news. With Blood, his lead generals and his advance ship all destroyed, the threat he posed the universes looked to be over and their job accomplished. Earth would be safe now.

Still Tommy realized that there was still work to be done before they could call their victory… complete.

“Can you contact the Space team?” Tommy asked suddenly, his feet already heading for the command center’s main console, forcing Kim and the others to follow.

“Sure…” replied Billy as he joined Tommy at the control panels and sent out the sub space frequency to contact the Space team on DECA. 

After a few minutes there was a reply and Billy opened up the comm. channel to display the bridge of the DECA and Andros stood before the screen; TJ, Carlos, Ashley and Cassie rising from their seats to fall in behind him.

“Tommy. Good to see you and the rest of your team back safe and sound on Earth,” greeted Andros, smiling slightly.

“As am I. Andros, I need to talk to the others about something pretty important… do you have any problems with that?”

“Of course not,” Andros replied and stepped out of the way, leaving behind the four former Turbo rangers facing their predecessors. 

“Hey Tommy,” said TJ as he took the center spot on screen.

“TJ… are you and the others going to return to Earth as rangers?” asked Tommy point blank, bringing TJ up short and confusing the uniformed Photon team as well as the rest of the group who were gathered in the command center.

TJ glanced around at the others and they all seemed to provide TJ some silent answer before he turned to regard the man who had chosen him to replace him nearly 4 years ago.

“No… not now. We have a job protecting our sectors of the galaxy, so… no.”

“Okay, that’s what I expected,” Tommy replied, his eyes glittering darkly even as his mouth attempted a small smile, “Thanks again for the save.”

“Not a problem. Now that Blood’s gone, we’ll be heading back to our sector of space. If you need us again, just call.”

“Thanks again, and may the power protect you.”

With that Tommy reached forward and pressed the button he knew Billy had opened the channel with, shutting down the audio and video connection with DECA. He turned and saw the looks of bewilderment as the others had listened to his conversation but not understood the true depths of it.

“Tommy, what was that about?” Jason asked first, moving to his friend’s side with a worried look on his face that was reflected on several others.

“We need to plan the future guys,” Tommy stated simply, his hands holding his helmet before him as he lifted it ever so slightly as he spoke.

“What does that mean?” questioned Adam, wondering what Tommy was considering with his line of questioning with the Space team.

“We all know that this situation was an emergency; Blood was coming and Billy needed rangers. But what about the next time? How many of us are going to want to be rangers forever?”

There was a long pause as they all considered Tommy’s words. All of them had spent some time in uniform. For some, like Adam, Billy and Tommy it had been a while, for others like Kim and Trini it was less. Still, none of them had considered the fact that they wouldn’t eventually have a replacement team assigned… yet that had been in the past when Zordon helped them select others for the job. 

With him gone and them on their own, the rules once again had changed.

“So you wanted to see if the Space team was staying…” realized Kimberly as she stared at Tommy, recognizing his need to plan long term.

“If they were, we could have retired or transferred the zords and powers from the team here to them. But with them not staying…” he started and trailed off.

“I thought the idea was to finish off Blood so we wouldn’t need to have rangers here?” interjected Rocky, his voice tinged a bit with anger as he recalled the fierce debate about taking on the burden of destroying Blood and his people without any mercy.

Tommy’s eyes dropped and he took a deep breath. He knew what he’d wanted, had told the others they needed to do to make sure Earth was protected. But in the moments he’d faced off with Blood on the field of White Sands he’d come to realize that no matter Earth’s reputation there was always going to be someone crazy or evil enough to test the myth of Earth’s power rangers. And that meant someone staying in uniform to deter any threat. Slowly he raised his eyes, and the dark determination there brought more than a few of his friends up short.

“We’re always going to need rangers on Earth,” Tommy said matter of factly, the tone of his voice almost… menacing. “We just needed to send a message that trying to take over Earth wasn’t worth it to scare off those who were smart enough to pay attention. Like Rita or Zedd would have ever been wise enough to have taken a hint…”

Everyone had to concede that point. Failed attempt after failed attempt the silver haired sorceress and the silver masked villain had kept after the rangers in their quest for Earth. And even in the wake of their failures the Machine Empire had tried to take over Earth as well. Today they’d taken a step to deter would be conquerors, but there was always going to be one villain who thought they were better than they were…

“So, with the Space team leaving, what do we do? Stay rangers until we die?” questioned Tanya, her hand unconsciously gripping the rim of her helmet at the thought.

“No, that’s not even practical. We’ll have to recruit replacements at some point,” Billy added, looking to Tommy. “But do you have a plan on that in mind already?”

“Look, I have some ideas but I think we’re all a bit too worked up at the moment. Let’s table this for the moment, have some dinner and then get some sleep. Tomorrow we can look at our options.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Tommy, knowing that there was still time to have that talk with Blood defeated, and Billy suddenly announced, “I doubt anyone wants to cook. How about we order in pizza?”

“I’m on board with that!” Jason agreed to which everyone else nodded or gave some approving indicator.

“Veggie delight?” asked Kim, getting a backing thumbs up from Trini.

“All meat marvel!” declared Adam even as Tommy smiled and slapped Jason on the back, the tension in the room over the team’s future dissipating with the idea of food.

“Hawaiian!” suggested Rocky, making everyone turn to him with a look of disgust. “What, there’s fruit and meat and cheese… its good.”

“Fine, but you’re the only one eating it,” Billy replied with a sigh, “I’ll start a list and get it delivered… we’ll tell them we’re a work crew and need some food!”

-x-

After devouring the pizza everyone started to drift apart to their respective rooms. For Kim and Tommy as well as Rocky and Aisha they’d begun sharing their rooms. The two ranger couples said their good nights to everyone and headed to their shared rooms; Rocky and Aisha to Rocky’s room and Kim and Tommy to his. As they left the mostly empty living room both couples noted with sly grins that Billy and Trini were still up, sitting together on the love seat and talking quietly.

Once Tommy and Kim got to his room she shut and locked the door behind him. She watched as he moved tiredly to the side of the bed and sat down heavily on it.

“So, what was all that about options?” Kim asked simply as she moved to where she’d stashed some of her clothes earlier and picked up her night clothes before she headed to the bathroom.

“I think we have one more important decision to make,” Tommy replied as he untied his boots and tossed them and his socks aside before he stood and slipped out of his jeans before he climbed into bed in just his boxers and t-shirt.

“Like?” she questioned from within the bathroom.

“What this team’s future is now that Blood’s gone.”

“What do you mean?” Kim asked, poking her head out of the bathroom, hairbrush in hand.

“We can’t keep doing this,” he finally stated, his eyes drinking her in as he noted the pale peach camisole and short set she was wearing now. “I don’t want to be a ranger forever. I want to finish school, have a career… get married…”

Her eyes widened at the last. Their reunion and reconciliation aside, in all the time they’d been together before things had fallen apart Tommy had never talked about getting married. Yet they’d both grown up, were adults now and with that came real, adult dreams. It wasn’t surprising he’d want to get married, but the way he was looking at her, his want and love showing in his eyes told her he wasn’t talking in the abstract – he meant with her.

“So, what, we throw the responsibility on the others?” she asked softly as she placed the hairbrush on the sink and shut off the bathroom light before moving to where Tommy held up the covers for her.

Once she slid under them he drew her to him, both of them on their sides, their eyes holding one another’s. He studied her intently and she lifted a hand to press to his cheek, making his eyes flutter closed for a brief second before he opened them, focusing on her even as the lump in his throat at how much this woman meant to him threatened to choke him. 

“No…” he finally answered, his voice a near whisper. “I think we give this all away.”

“To who? How?” she questioned, the shock in her voice evident.

“The rangers have always been… outside of things. This situation, with Blood was the first time in all the years that power rangers have been on Earth that we dealt with and worked with the world governments.”

She nodded, her eyes boring into his even as she let her hand slide to press against his chest and over his heart.

“I think we need to let them do their job… be the peacekeepers of the world…” he continued, letting his words sink in with her. “We need the UN to take over.”

“Tommy… are you suggesting we give up?”

“No, but in the long run we need to get out of the business of being rangers, and by letting the UN create a task force or something to staff and run this place,” he said, and then swallowed hard, “we can retire.”

“But by going to the government, giving them all this, would we compromise ourselves? Our families?” she asked, stunned at the brilliant simplicity of Tommy’s idea even as it scared the hell out of her.

“If they can have people work as spies that no one ever hears about there’s no reason they can’t keep our identities secret.”

Kim pondered the idea in her head as she studied Tommy’s face. The earnest look she saw there told her he believed that this could actually work. And ever since she’d walked through the warehouse doors this time everything had been different… no Zordon, new powers and zords, new rules and… loss. 

They weren’t playing kid’s games any longer; they’d been hurt and killed. 

Handing over the powers and responsibility to the world government, letting them throw their money and resources into protecting the planet… it wasn’t the worst idea ever.

But still…

“We have to convince the others that we can make this plan of yours work,” Kim finally said, causing Tommy to pull in a deep breath as he smiled gently at her, his hands moving from her waist to catch her face in his palms.

“That’s the next step. But for tonight… I just want to be with you.”

At that he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply as her arms moved to hold him to her, both of them content in the knowledge that for today they’d won and were together. Tomorrow, and the decisions that would come with it were still a day away.


	18. Saying Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blood is defeated but there is still an aftermath to deal with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Author’s Note: This chapter is dedicated to PsycoChick32, who passed away 6/3 and who I am going to miss speaking with online, reading her reviews and stories and wish I had gotten a chance to meet in person (we were supposed to see one another at PMC3). She will be dearly missed.

The following morning the members of the team had slowly woken in groups; first Tommy and Kim had made their way to the living room turning on the television, clicking it to the news. They waited for the others as they continued their discussion from the night before, keeping their voices down as to not wake anyone unnecessarily.

Billy was awake next, rubbing his eyes as he held his glasses in one hand. Trini followed him from his room less than ten minutes later, prompting a pair of stunned looks from Kim and Tommy and a blush set across Billy’s face. Tanya came from her room upstairs next, seeing the others settled in the living area and moved to join them.

Adam’s door upstairs opened and closed five minutes later and when he saw the collected group below decided to knock on both Jason and Zack’s doors.

“Wake up guys. Time to get a move on.”

By the time Adam was downstairs Rocky’s door on the bottom floor opened revealing both him and Aisha. They nodded to Adam with slight grins and moved to the couches with everyone else.

Finally Jason and Zack stumbled their way downstairs and they both recognized the serious look on their leader’s face. Jason knew that come morning Tommy would bring up his suggestion again and it looked like he’d simply been waiting for the last members of the team to arrive before he started.

Tommy stood once Jason and Zack neared the living space and started to move to turn off the TV. It was obvious to everyone that he was preparing to start in on the next step for the future of the ranger team. Most of them had pondered heavily the suggestion he’d made the night before. However the moment of truth was now on them and they had a decision to make.

“So, now that we’re all here, let’s get this resolved, once and for all,” began Tommy, looking from Kim to the others who were all still in varying stages of wakefulness. 

“Look Tommy, it’s not like we don’t want to discuss this…” started Aisha as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands.

“But can we get something to eat first?” added Rocky causing more than a few people to give him a knowing look.

Taking a quick glance around the room, Tommy realized that they’d all been wired pretty tightly for the last week or so and letting them have a bit more time would probably ease the proposal he was getting ready to thrust upon them. Then he felt his own stomach rumble a bit and hoped no one had noticed. 

He had to grudgingly admit that sometimes Rocky was right in his philosophy of eat first, think later.

“Okay, food first… Billy, we have cereal, toast and the like, yes?”

“Of course.”

With that everyone moved to the kitchen and gathered around the fridge and counter. Kim and Adam started hauling out bread, butter, jam, peanut butter, fruit, milk and juice and passed them along to Billy and Tanya, who were taking dishes from the dishwasher and setting out a variety of boxed cereals on the counter along with the items from the refrigerator. Jason had moved to the coffee maker, needing the caffeine jolt and Zack stood by his side, anxious for the dark brew himself.

With food laid out the group started a buffet line, each person taking what they wanted. The first to finish dishing up their items was Aisha, having bypassed the milling about the coffee machine. Instead of taking a seat at the dining table she turned to the couches and settled down in what had sort of become her seat, setting her juice glass on the coffee table before her before taking a bite of her toast. 

Rocky moved to join her, letting her sidle up close even as Zack and Jason took a seat in a couple of the arm chairs. Billy came to sit, Trini following close behind and they took another of the ‘love seat’ sofas. The current yellow ranger noted the TV remote before them and clicked the on button, filling the room with new sound, partially drowning out the noise of people banging plates and glasses.

On the TV, the team found that it had been turned to the news last, and the talk show pundits were discussing the destruction of Blood’s ship and the ranger’s affiliation with the UN to save Earth. It seemed a heated discussion between both conservative and liberal representatives addressing the future of Earth’s security from alien races. The fact that the republican senator was advocating for a ‘Star Wars’ missile defense program was being laughed at by his democratic house member for being excessively expensive and unworkable.

Those that were just making their way to the living space sat wherever they could find a place, even though everyone had unconsciously left two seats together for Tommy and Kim who sat down last. 

Once everyone was settled Tommy decided to leave the discussion until they had all finished their meals. Munching continued and there was a random slurp of coffee or juice barely heard over the continued ‘moderated’ discussion on the television. As soon as the last place was emptied Tommy reached from the remote from Trini and turned the set off, plunging the room into an almost uncomfortable silence. Everyone turned to look at Tommy as he took a deep breath, his eyes dropping to glance at Kim for support before he spoke, launching straight into his plan. 

“Okay, so now that we’ve had the chance to rest and eat, we need to make some important decisions about the team. We have a few options as I see it; One, we keep doing what we’re doing - be rangers, be a team until all of us can’t hack it anymore. Two, we pare down the team here to five and one support person and everyone else can go back to their lives, and we can rotate people in and out as needed…”

“But you have another idea, don’t you?” asked Jason, knowing his friend pretty well, especially following the previous evenings’ aborted discussion.

“We do,” interjected Kim, her eyes darting towards Tommy before she focused her gaze at the others in their seats around the room. “We can hand over all the tech and powers to the United Nations.”

“What?” exclaimed Tanya, her coffee mug nearly falling from her grasp.

“Are you serious?” Adam questioned, stunned at the prospect.

“But… what about our identities?” added Trini.

“And can we trust them with all this?” Zack remarked, truly curious about how much their fearless leader and Kim had thought this through.

Tommy held up his hands, trying to settle everyone down. He knew that everyone was dedicated, willing to be rangers for as long as needed but they had no idea how long that realistically would be. Five years, ten, twenty… they would have to recruit replacements. It was just a matter of when.

And if they were going to have to do it sometime, he’d thought it might as well be now.

“Look, we all need to realize that we can’t do this alone. What happens when Billy’s money is gone,” Kim commented, looking to the tech geek who shrugged… “And we’re working without any kind of net…”

“You mean we aren’t sanctioned by any government entity…” pointed out Jason as he started to understand Kim and Tommy’s intentions.

“To some governments we could be considered a terrorist group,” Tommy clarified, making more than a few of the team look at him in surprise. “If we work with the UN they’ll see we’re on their side and not just this time or last, but permanently.”

“So, you’re proposing we do what?” asked Rocky, “Just let them take over?”

“No,” Kim interjected forcefully. “Tommy and I discussed that we’d make the agreement with the UN Security Council to hand over the ability to staff and assign rangers to the Photon team, but with the caveat that a few of the original group stay on as advisors, trainers, administrators…”

“So we get them to agree to our conditions and we get to leave,” pondered Trini out loud, her eyes flicking to Billy’s profile before turning back to Kim and Tommy.

“That’s the only way we do this. If they won’t protect our identities we don’t hand over the tech,” explained Tommy.

“And because we’ll be ‘watchdogs’, we’ll be able to keep them from abusing the zords and the power…” Aisha commented, her eyes widening in understanding.

“There’s no way they can recruit enough potential rangers and staff to run this place in under six months,” mused Adam seriously. “They’d need at least a few of us around and Billy could probably set up some fail safes…”

“I already sort of have them…” Billy remarked with a slight blush, his gaze falling on Tommy. “Ever since the Prince Gasket brainwashing incident I’ve needed to make sure we could shut down a zord or even a ranger’s suit in case its owner was… taken over.”

Tommy nodded in understanding, his mouth turning down into a slight frown before Kim’s hand laid over his in sympathy. She didn’t know the details but she could guess at what had happened to cause Billy to do such a thing.

“So, if we were to agree to this plan, and I’m not saying I’m for it,” Rocky started before taking a sip of his now cold coffee, “what exactly are we asking from the UN in exchange for giving them the most advanced tech on the planet that could wipe out any country off the map?”

It was a good and valid question, and everyone waited for Tommy’s well considered answer. It was one he’d pondered a lot over the hours since the idea had come to him and after speaking with Kim he was sure he was right in his beliefs.

“The ability to staff our own people here; as rangers first until they recruit and then trainers and advisors. I think there should always be at least one of the old guard here, but I don’t want anyone to feel pressured to…” Tommy began before trailing off at the realization that someone from their group would probably always have to be affiliated with the rangers…

There was a long pause before 8 voices all spoke up nearly as one saying in some form or another, “I can stay…”

Tommy swung his eyes to catch Kim’s before looking back out at their friends. The fact that they all were willing to give up their time, their dreams to do this heartened and humbled him all at once. And by volunteering to do that they were agreeing to the plan…

“Thanks everyone. I think then, if we’re really going to do this, we need to contact the UN and ask for a meeting and lay out the requirements for a hand-over. Billy, can you do that without them tracking us?”

“Sure. Just tell me what we want to say…”

“Simply put, we want to negotiate a transfer plan to give the UN control of the Photon Rangers.”

“Okay…” answered Billy, a look of awe in his eyes as he got up to prepare to send that basic message.

And with that one communication, the next step in the evolution of the rangers would begin.

-x-

Several days later the team were all gathered together again in the Command Center, preparing to alter their futures so they could all have one once again. Those members of the team that wore their uniforms did so, fully suited up and ready to go. The rest of the team stood behind the control panels, watching and waiting, knowing that their team mates were about to do something unprecedented… The UN had agreed to their offer and the uniformed members of the team were about to set off for that meeting.

“Okay, ready to do this?” asked Billy as he stood at the control panel, watching Tommy and the other four uniformed members standing by the transport pad.

“You mean have the butterflies the size of Buicks in my stomach settled…” Tommy answered as he clipped his helmet in place as he moved to his spot at the transport pad, “no, but it was my idea and I need to see it through.”

“They want this meeting Tommy… they wouldn’t have agreed to it otherwise,” remarked Jason from his space beside him.

“Sure, but will they play hardball?” questioned Adam behind them.

“How? We can just up and leave,” reminded Tanya.

“Just remember… we’re the good guys. Make them see that,” remarked Kim where she stood with those remaining at the command center.

“We will,” replied Tanya.

“May the power protect you,” Billy murmured solemnly before he flipped the switch, sending the team to their destination.

-x-

Billy’s tech was flawless; they’d been transported into the area right outside the office they were to meet in with the seven core members of the Security Council. It had been discussed via ‘electronic communication’ that the rangers would only meet with a small group to discuss the transfer plan and, as needed reveal their identities.

With a simple knock, Tommy took the first step towards that final goal.

They were escorted in by heavily armed military and what looked like secret service. Of course even with their best weapons their ranger armor would withstand a lot more than they’d be able to dish out before the team took them down. But this wasn’t supposed to be about a confrontation – it was about helping one another.

Before them seven members of the UN Security Council were seated on one side of a long table. Five chairs on the other side lay vacant, waiting for the team to sit. As they moved to their seats they noted the security; guards lined the room and then only exited once they were waived off as Tommy and the others sat.

“Rangers,” spoke up the President of the UN Security Council from where he sat at the center of the opposite side of the long bench table.

“Sir. Ladies and gentlemen, you know why we’re here…” spoke Tommy as the red ranger ‘leader’.

“And most of us can’t believe it… you want to give ‘us’ your technology?” questioned the representative from the UK.

“We don’t have the resources we used to that would allow us to… continue as we are,” explained Jason from behind the blue ranger helmet. 

“So you trust us to use these weapons wisely,” asked the member from China.

“We feel that you can do a lot of good. And you need to be prepared if this happens again,” said Trini.

“You believe it will?” queried the Russian representative.

“It could. So we want the Earth to be ready if it does,” answered Adam.

“Your message said you had… conditions to this transfer of power,” stated the UN Security Council President, his tone almost… worried.

“Yes. The UN Security Council will take over and create a “ranger force” to protect the planet. We will provide you with access to the command center, the weapons, uniforms and technology,” explained Tommy simply.

“But?” asked the French representative, leading the question as he waited for the proverbial other shoe to drop.

“Part of our terms will be we will always have a presence among the new ranger organization,” stated Tommy, his authoritative tone undeniable. “Members of our current team will stay on in an advisory capacity until we decide it is no longer required.”

“And we will have people on site to train your new recruits as both support and active ranger personnel,” added Jason, letting them know their level of involvement now as well as Tommy’s stated later approach.

“If we agree to these provisions…” began the UK member before the black ranger cut him off.

“And lastly you need to not only keep the origins of the rangers a secret, you will need to guarantee as well our identities stay secret too,” interjected Adam, knowing this was the last part that was non-negotiable.

Once the final request was made the seven at the table looked to one another in silent questioning. To be asked to simply allow the people who knew the technology and how to be rangers to stay on and safeguard their secrets in trade for technology and the ability to protect Earth from intergalactic invasion… it was too much to pass up. Minute nods met his eyes before he turned back to the rangers before them, offering them safety as well as knowledge…

“We agree to your provisions, red ranger…” began the President of the UN Security Council before Tommy abruptly stood and reached for the latches of his helmet, surprising his team and stunning the council members before him.

With a dual pop Tommy then lifted his helmet off and tucked it under his left arm, now able to look the members of the council directly in the eye as they made this important agreement.

“Tommy Oliver sir,” he stated as he took a step forward and reached out his gloved hand.

“My God, you really are…” stammered the UN President.

“Human? Or American?” asked Tommy even as he heard the sounds of four other helmets unlatching behind him.

“Both…” blurted out the French representative as he watched the others show their faces, displaying the youthful faces of the early twenty something heroes that had saved Earth from Blood’s tyranny, “and you… all of you have been rangers… now and… before?” 

“Yes. We have. And now members of your countries will be too,” commented Jason as he moved beside his friend.

“Well then, Tommy Oliver, on behalf of the United Nations, we gladly accept your offer and look forward to working with you,” said the UN President as he reached his hand across the table and took Tommy’s in his, shaking it as the pact was made.

-x-

In the days following the government hand-off agreement the team was involved in a flurry of activity. They had been in daily, if not hourly contact with the government in regards to the transition to the newly created World Security Council, a subset of the U.N. Security Council, responsible for the ranger tech and team. All the calls and meetings with new counterparts, scientists and military personnel had sidetracked most of the team with the slight exceptions of Trini and Tanya. 

As the others had spent countless hours going over top secret clearance and regulations, they had been in constant touch with the team’s family and friends… including the Hilliard’s.

So when the arrangements for Kat’s funeral in Melbourne were finally agreed upon, Tommy made a big request – that the hand-off proceedings be postponed for two days while they attended. Instead of being distressed by the delay, the US government, on behalf of the President of the United States, who had been read into the situation with the rangers and informed about their nationality as well, they’d offered the full team transportation to Australia so they could attend. 

With heavy hearts the group had made their way to Moffett Field near San Francisco and boarded a plane to Travis Air Force Base where they were then transferred to a military transport bound for Australia.

The trip was a long one, and for those still wearing the uniform while they could have transported in the blink of an eye, the rest would have had to travel conventionally. Since Billy hadn’t created additional transporter mechanisms, they had chosen to stay together, wanting and needing the time with one another as they prepared to say goodbye to Kat.

The hours on the plane also gave the team some more time to come to terms with their new status… temporary rangers, advisors and for those who once the handoff was complete, civilians once again. On the plane they also had time to discuss a recent turn of events, among them being the delivery of several recently awarded honors on behalf of both the US government and the UN. When they had been delivered to the warehouse they had been shocked and humbled. The idea that they could finally be recognized for their service to their country and the planet was one none of them would ever forget.

Still, that was secondary to the reality that once they headed back to the states after the funeral they would be going their separate ways again. For one specific couple the prospect of being away from one another once more was more worrisome than before, given their history… 

“It feels strange to know that I’ll be heading home and you…” Kim finally said quietly to Tommy as they sat together on the cargo plane after the talk with the others on team matters had died down.

“I know. But when the replacements are trained… I’d like to see about transferring colleges.”

Her eyes widened, immediately understanding the implications of his unspoken suggestion. She had hoped their relationship would be able to survive the separation, but the circumstances of a long term, long distance relationship had made her fearful of a repeat of history between them. This though…

“You want to try and make this work… outside of the team,” she nearly whispered and watched him nod his head even as he took her hand, raising it to his lips for a brief kiss.

“Both Billy and Adam are going to stay on long-term so Jase, Trini and I only need to stay in uniform until all the new recruits get trained, and then I’ll head home… to you…”

“Of course you know we could all stay on…” Kim pressed, bringing back the issue that the whole team had argued about for nearly a day – no one wanted to desert the others.

“It’s better this way, we all agreed on that. Jason decided to put his life on hold and Adam is just going to move here to be part of the team staying past the hand-off. Tanya and Zack have jobs and significant others to get back to, Aisha needs to get back to school… and I don’t want Rocky to have to stay behind…”

“Like you are,” she pointed out with the tone of voice that told Tommy just how much she didn’t want to separate from him and he smiled a bit at the realization once again that she loved him enough to put her life on hold and stay.

“Yes, but you know I have to do this…” Tommy remarked seriously, she nodded in acknowledgement and he continued on. “Billy has been off planet, knows this tech in and out and I’m going to seriously push to see if he’ll stay on as the formal adjunct to this new World Security Council and oversee the recruiting process of military candidates to take on the ranger roles.”

“He’ll be good at that. Plus if he stays he’ll be in Trini’s city…” Kim remarked with a smirk and raised eyebrow that prompted both of them to glance across the plane to see Trini and Billy sitting side by side and hand in hand.

“Adam is okay uprooting things and once everything is set, then we can all leave it behind… at least to some degree.”

“So now it’s just about saying goodbye…” she noted, the feelings they all were having about leaving the rangers once again weighing heavily on them all.

“In more ways than one,” said Tommy with a heavy heart as they heard the pilot announce they were descending into Melbourne.

-x-

When the team arrived at the funeral service there was already a large gathering at the gravesite. Several people around the edges of the cemetery plot started at the government vehicles and the rangers exited to stares as they moved to find a spot to accommodate their large group.

They stood and listened as the service started, the preacher speaking of accidents and fate and how you never knew when your time on Earth was done. How you needed to remember those you loved every day as though it was your last. He spoke the benedictions and then invited others to share their memories of Katherine.

Friends of the Hilliard’s and of Kat’s stood and spoke, recalling humorous stories of telling of meetings or adventures over the years. Kat’s fiancé, Damon talked about how he first met Kat and how much he’d been looking forward to the rest of their lives together… before swallowing heavily and ducking his head as he let the pain and sorrow overwhelm him once again.

When everyone had spoken that desired to, the preacher finished the service and signaled for the casket to be lowered, speaking the common final words, “we commend unto thy hands of mercy, most merciful Father, the soul of this our sister departed, and we commit her body to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; and we beseech thine infinite goodness to give us grace to live in thy fear and love and to die in thy favor, that when the judgment shall come which thou hast committed to thy well-beloved Son, both this our sister and we may be found acceptable in thy sight. Grant this, O merciful Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Savior, Mediator, and Advocate… Amen.”

A quiet chorus of amens rose around the gravesite as the casket continued to lower until it was no longer visible. Finally the preacher threw a handful of dirt onto the casket and moved to speak quietly to the family as the service ended. With the service now over the crowd began to disperse and the team waited until nearly everyone had gone before they even made a step towards Kat’s family to give their condolences.

Tommy ventured forth first, his hand holding Kim’s, not caring if his former girlfriend’s family would be scandalized by his attachment to Kim at Kat’s service. They stood before Kat’s grieving parents and Kim tightened her hold on Tommy’s hand briefly as they prepared for the worst part o the day.

“We’re all so sorry for your loss. We all will miss Kat dearly,” Tommy said to the Hilliard’s and then he reached into his pants pocket to pull something out, “We… I thought you should have this.” 

In his hand he held out to them one of the newly struck medals of valor that had been awarded to all the members of the ranger team by the President of the United States. This one was his, and since Kat had died before the arrangements with the UN, no one knew she had been a ranger so one had not been awarded to her.

And of all of them, Kat was the one that deserved the bronze disk heralding her valor and sacrifice.

“Tommy,” said Mr. Hilliard, comprehension slowly dawning on him just what Tommy was holding in his hand after staring at the object and seeing the presidential seal in the center.

The international news had been buzzing for days around the fact that the power rangers were being recognized by several governments for their service to protecting the planet. He’d absent mindedly noted the story since when he, his wife and Kat had lived in Angel Grove the rangers were a constant defensive presence and the news of their return and being rewarded for their service to the world. And now here Tommy was with this medal that had to be…

“You…” he started to say, memories of Kat, her boyfriend and their friends in Angel Grove all starting to click in his mind, the pieces of a puzzle falling in line and he looked from Tommy to his wife and then back again in awe.

Both Tommy and Kim recognized the moment Mr. Hilliard figured out that Tommy, and most likely all of Kat’s friends had been rangers and Tommy nodded slightly in acknowledgement. Then Tommy pressed the disk into Mr. Hilliard’s hand, holding it there as he waited for the other man to grip it.

“Please… you should have it. She died… a hero. We wanted you both to know that.”

Mrs. Hilliard started crying harder at his words and Kim tightened her hand in Tommy’s as she willed her strength to him as he faced his former girlfriend’s parents, knowing deep down in some small part of him he’d always blame himself for Kat’s death on the field… the first person to die under his leadership.

“Thank you Tommy. We appreciate you,” he started, and looked past Kim and Tommy to see the rest of the group of people with them, some he knew as Kat’s other friends and now recognized as probable rangers too before he continued, “all of you coming. We know you have a lot to do.”

Tommy simply nodded and then turned with Kim to wait as the others made their way to shake hands or provide hugs to the Hilliards.

“That was a very wonderful thing you just did,” Kim said as they walked back towards the government vehicles that had waited for them, ready to whisk them back to the air base to be transported back to the US so they could complete the hand-off of the rangers.

“They deserved to know… have something that said what she meant not just to them or us, but to the world.”

Kim nodded understandingly and then turned her head to note the rest of the team had caught up with them and they all shared compassionate, knowing looks. Saying goodbye to Kat was also the final act of the entire team together before they would go their separate ways when they returned to the states.

Still, they all would be able to still stay in touch. The camaraderie they all had, the friendships and relationships built over the years would continue to grow and change. And they would be able to watch as the power rangers evolved knowing that they had been the first, the best and the reason humanity was still here, ready to defend itself against any future threats.

With a final turn back towards the gravesite Tommy said quietly, “bye Kat.” Then he turned, tightening his grip on Kim’s hand as he looked to her with a small smile before glancing around to the others and then directing his gaze to the vehicles awaiting them.

“Okay everyone…” he announced, his voice taking on the leadership quality that they all knew and had come to depend on when things got rough, “let’s go home.”

\- end -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N 2: I want to again mention how this is dedicated to Kim. I will forever wish I had gotten this done sooner, but I cannot change the past. I found though that working on this was cathartic and while I had always planned the last chapter to include Kat’s funeral (the chapter title had always been Saying Goodbye since I started the story) it made it all the more bittersweet to be writing it with Kim in mind…
> 
> So, that’s it… no epilogue, just a future that you can make your own assumptions on how the members of the team moved on.
> 
> I hope everyone that stuck this out enjoyed the story. As usual, any and all feedback is welcomed and appreciated. I am actually thinking of going back and filling in some more holes in the Always a Ranger universe so if you like that series, keep an eye out for new one-shots or possibly more…
> 
> Thanks for reading, Ms. J.


End file.
